# falconman515's NewAir AW-280E 28 Bottle Wineador Build!



## falconman515

I just placed my order for my new NewAir AW-280E 28 Bottle Wine Cooler to turn into my new Windeador!!! :woohoo:

There are many threads with builds dedicated to Vino and Edgestar but nothing that I could find on the NewAir thats very detailed. Since this unit is being talked about and is going for such a great price I thought for us new guys interested in getting into a wineador this thread would help if anyone is thinking of purchasing this specific unit.

I got this unit from Air and Water (seems to be a very reputable company and has great customer service) on their eBay website for $175.22 (They are located in California so if you live in CA. add $13.58 for tax) with Free Shipping! 

Here is a link to their direct website and also to their eBay store online:
AW-280E NewAir 28 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler With Touch Screen and LED Light
AIR and WATER items - Get great deals on items on eBay Stores!

Once this unit arrives I will journal my progress with updates and pictures. I will be using certain items in this unit as far as humidity control, air flow, temp and Rh gauging, drawers / shelves and etc. and will be specifying what I use, where its purchased from and the price it was bought for.










I hope this thread helps others in assisting them with their NewAir 28 build as well.

There are few members that have a NewAir 28 unit here on Puff and I urge them to please come in on this thread and post pictures and suggestions as well throughout this threads progress.

I look forward to updating this thread with pictures and progress and please let me know if you have any questions or comments!

Chris (falconman515) :cowboyic9:


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## fanman1

Thats Ausome, I dont have a wineador or any type but i look forward to watching your progress!


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## chef-zorba

I'll be watching closely! This might push me over to the New Air side


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## ShortFuse

Chris...

Yeah, I'm a bum and didn't post any of the pics of mine when I built it while I was home. I did take some pictures however and once I get back to a normal schedule or routine I will post some pics.

I did spent a good amount of time on Puff while I was home, but I didn't want to spend all of it! So pictures will follow soon.


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## Casey Jones

Just got all my drawers for my newair too. I'll post my pics tonight or tomorrow.


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## falconman515

ShortFuse said:


> Chris...
> 
> Yeah, I'm a bum and didn't post any of the pics of mine when I built it while I was home. I did take some pictures however and once I get back to a normal schedule or routine I will post some pics.
> 
> I did spent a good amount of time on Puff while I was home, but I didn't want to spend all of it! So pictures will follow soon.





Casey Jones said:


> Just got all my drawers for my newair too. I'll post my pics tonight or tomorrow.


Looking forward to seeing all the pics brothers!

Thanks for contributing to my thread.


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## malibubts

Any thoughts on your fan setup if any? I'm still trying to figure mine out.


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## HWiebe

I've been using my tiny 6 bottle winador for two months or so and I love it. Had to plug it back in again because of all the recent bombing activity.


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## falconman515

malibubts said:


> Any thoughts on your fan setup if any? I'm still trying to figure mine out.


I'm gonna run 1 or 2 Oust fans for the time being.

http://www.shopcrownhouse.com/product_p/15e5-scjoh15953.htm


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## falconman515

List of basic items I currently have and also a few that I ordered to go in the the new Wineador!

*The 2 Caliber III Digital Hygrometer / Thermometer Qty.2 purchased from eBay for $18.50:*










*The ExquisiCat KL for humidification from Petsmart for $13.99:*










*The few Filter Media Bags for the KL from Petsmart for 99 cents a bag:*










*And 2 of the Oust fans for air flow purchased from shopcrownhouse.com for $9.99:*










These are just the basics so far but the main items needed (aside from the drawers and shelves that I have to save for).

Let me know if I can help with any questions you may have about these items.


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## quo155

Great job so far Chris...good to see you've got a good deal and are moving forward!


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## GregSS

Stop tempting me with these wineador build threads!


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## TonyBrooklyn

Great thread i don't run a winedor but love to follow these builds!:thumb:


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## ShortFuse

So a couple of you here already know that my NewAir build is complete. With the encouragement of the thread "owner" I will put up several pics to get things going and then open it up for questions.

Without further delay...
*An overall shot...(door was opened to reduce glare)*









*From the bottom up...(with some notes)*








A dollar store tupperware container, Petco media bag, and Petco unscented KL crystals( $1, $1, $18/8lbs)

*Business part of the shelf w/ false bottom...*









Yes that is the adhesive strip from a small flat rate box 

*Next are two shelves that mount in just below the fan, contents are self-explanatory...*



















*Then there is a series of shelves working up to the top...*








The media bag on this shelf is also charged due to the proximity of the fan. I also choose to keep my coffins here due to the increased airflow. I noticed very little fluctuation in rH from top to bottom in the unit mostly due to proper seasoning of the shelves and already having done a good amount of trial and error with KL! (Thanks Tony!)









Last is the top shelf... Not the best, but its my top shelf!!!









The odd looking instrument on the top shelf is a travel soap dish with several holes drilled in it. It is filled with uncharged kitty litter to help catch the excess moisture that travels up in the unit. I have found this to be very successful in helping regulate humidity at the top of the unit. So far there hasn't been a need for a fan, with the location of the drain in this model, I think it would be difficult to wire one through the drain, however a battery operated system like what you're thinking should work if you are concerned. Or if you are very saavy with electronics possibly wire in the fans to work in conjunction with the LED lighting (which I find to be very dim). Not a deal breaker for me though.

Please feel free to throw me some questions or what nots. It looks like you are right on track with what you'll need to get it set up. BTW the Hygrosets were calibrated using a 69% Boveda pouch instead of a calibration kit (I got a bit rushed on that part and would rather buy one from the B&M than wait 3 days to calibrate). The Accurite model was calibrated in the same pouch and registered -2% so it is a pretty decent model for $7.00 and a trip to Wallyworld.


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## falconman515

Thanks SO much for coming in on this thread with friggin awesome pictures and further notes and suggestions.

This thread isn't just to show my new build its to help out all future BOTL with a NewAir build as well and to show the possibilities and what can be done even if they go with another brand cooler.

Please feel free to share this thread with me and help out in any way you would like.

I welcome all partners on this thread... and the more pics, comments and suggestions the better.

Thanks Thom for helping out and once again welcome home brother glad to have have you back on US soil and enjoying the fruits of your labor.


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## falconman515

Here are a few other pictures of a couple NewAirs I found in the threads as well and would like to show here as well.

Pictures are the best in helping with your builds and giving ideas on what you want to do with yours.


































Nice Looking cooler there!!!


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## falconman515

ShortFuse said:


> Please feel free to throw me some questions or what nots.


Since Most that read this may be either looking into to getting one or already ordered one the first thing that needs to be done when they arrive is to get that nasty plastic smell out.

How did you go about getting the smell out of your unit and did you find that using a certain product or doing it a certain way worked better.

I am looking at letting it sit out in the sun for a day when it arrives tomorrow with the door open then bring it in and use paste up some water and baking soda and wipe it down every few hours and also leave the door open at night with a bowl of baking soda in there as well (or should I close the door with the bowl of BS in there?).

Just want to get some feedback since that the first step in this new build and will be the first step for any other BOTL that gets a new wine cooler to convert.

Thanks so much guys for all the info.


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## ShortFuse

No problems brother... I'm actually back in Iraq for the time being and my wife has very detailed instructions on how to take care of the wineador. Thats another story.

As far as the smell that it comes with, I mixed up a sollution of warm water and Dawn liquid dishsoap. Scrubbed it down hosed it out and gave it two good washings. I then let it sit the shade to dry out. A garage, balcony, porch, garage, what have you, will work just preferably not on the grass or anywhere thats too funky and will require you to wash it out again. 

I washed it in the early afternoon on a Sunday and was comfortable enough with everything being dry enough Monday night to bring it back inside. Once I had it where I wanted it, I made sure I leveled it plugged it in on its highest setting and just let it run overnight. Came back in the morning and there was no funk left. 

I think the key point is running it for a little bit and get the motor running to burn off any of the nasty plastic smell that may be in there. Doing it before or after you wash the inside is personal preference, I guess looking back it would of made more sense to plug it in the garage and let it run for a bit and then wash it out. That way you know if you need to do a warranty exchange immediately :tongue1:

Charcoal, baking soda, crumpled newspaper are all other methods that have been experimented with as well. For me plain old Dawn (the blue kind) and a non abrasive sponge worked great. Plus if you get a 4 pack of sponges, you can use them later when you season your drawers. :rockon:


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## falconman515

ShortFuse said:


> Please feel free to throw me some questions or what nots.


The next thing that will need to be done is to plug the drainage hole.

Did you do this on your build Thom or did you just leave it as is and its still holding Rh fine?

I think to start off with I may try it stock and see how it holds and if it needs to be plugged most are just throwing some electrical tape over the hole and calling it a day.

That brings up another thing as well is the condensation after you plug the hole... I have read a thread where he put tape on the hole and said he has ZERO condensation roll off to the bottom of the cooler.... and in that same thread another guy with this same NewAir unit said "WOW.. I have Tons of condensation building up in mine".

Seems that some people have so much they need to route the roll off water into something and some just plug it and that's it.

Anyone who would like to chime in on this so I myself no the route I am going to take and also to help out future readers as well.

Thanks so much guys.


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## jordanwimb

Good luck with the build! 

Looking forward to seeing the finished result.


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## TonyBrooklyn

ShortFuse said:


> So a couple of you here already know that my NewAir build is complete. With the encouragement of the thread "owner" I will put up several pics to get things going and then open it up for questions.
> 
> Without further delay...
> *An overall shot...(door was opened to reduce glare)*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *From the bottom up...(with some notes)*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A dollar store tupperware container, Petco media bag, and Petco unscented KL crystals( $1, $1, $18/8lbs)
> 
> *Business part of the shelf w/ false bottom...*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes that is the adhesive strip from a small flat rate box
> 
> *Next are two shelves that mount in just below the fan, contents are self-explanatory...*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Then there is a series of shelves working up to the top...*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The media bag on this shelf is also charged due to the proximity of the fan. I also choose to keep my coffins here due to the increased airflow. I noticed very little fluctuation in rH from top to bottom in the unit mostly due to proper seasoning of the shelves and already having done a good amount of trial and error with KL! (Thanks Tony!)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Last is the top shelf... Not the best, but its my top shelf!!!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The odd looking instrument on the top shelf is a travel soap dish with several holes drilled in it. It is filled with uncharged kitty litter to help catch the excess moisture that travels up in the unit. I have found this to be very successful in helping regulate humidity at the top of the unit. So far there hasn't been a need for a fan, with the location of the drain in this model, I think it would be difficult to wire one through the drain, however a battery operated system like what you're thinking should work if you are concerned. Or if you are very saavy with electronics possibly wire in the fans to work in conjunction with the LED lighting (which I find to be very dim). Not a deal breaker for me though.
> 
> Please feel free to throw me some questions or what nots. It looks like you are right on track with what you'll need to get it set up. BTW the Hygrosets were calibrated using a 69% Boveda pouch instead of a calibration kit (I got a bit rushed on that part and would rather buy one from the B&M than wait 3 days to calibrate). The Accurite model was calibrated in the same pouch and registered -2% so it is a pretty decent model for $7.00 and a trip to Wallyworld.


Very nice build that Kitty Litter looks so nice!
You my friend are very welcome!
My compliments on a great job well done sir!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## falconman515

*MY NEW COOLER JUST ARRIVED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

Time to start getting out the plastic smell...............


























I will continue to update with more pics as it moves along!!!


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## NoShhhSherlock

falconman515 said:


> Thanks SO much for coming in on this thread with friggin awesome pictures and further notes and suggestions.
> 
> This thread isn't just to show my new build its to help out all future BOTL with a NewAir build as well and to show the possibilities and what can be done even if they go with another brand cooler.
> 
> Please feel free to share this thread with me and help out in any way you would like.
> 
> I welcome all partners on this thread... and the more pics, comments and suggestions the better.
> 
> Thanks Thom for helping out and once again welcome home brother glad to have have you back on US soil and enjoying the fruits of your labor.


Yea, Thom really knows how to hijack a thread . Can't wait to see the progress on this build!


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## quo155

Those NewAir's look awesome!


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## falconman515

In its new home (was going to go in the office but just decided to keep it in the kitchen . breakfast nook area).










One thing though to answer a question I brought up earlier about the condensation... I have plugged the hole with electrical tape and it has been running for a few hours (getting the new motor smell out) and I have yet to have ANY condensation at all!

At the moment I am just trying to get the plastic smell out as much as I can... I have wiped it down a few times with warm water and baking soda then cleaned with unscented dish soap and now I have a few pieces of cedar in there to start masking the smell a bit and a tupperware bowl of Baking soda to soak up the smell.

Later tonight I will turn off the unit and stuff it full of newspaper (heard this works well) to let it sit overnight, then repeat the wash down process tomorrow and may throw in some activated charcoal. I know the smell wont go away completely (Its plastic guys you cant get rid of a smell 100% of what it actually is) but I want to get rid of the overpowering plastic smell do where its a dull faint smell and after seasoning trays in there with cedar cigar boxes there wont any smell left.

I still I will be moving over my two trays of smokes from my earlier build (http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...r-into-humidor-help-newbies-first-time-2.html) to this new once I get the smell gone and just have the trays with my singles and have the rest of my cigars just in ziploc bags sitting on the metal shelves.

I have spoken with Wineador (Forrest) and I will hopefully be getting a new drawer/shelve set-up.

But I put the two $10 SC trays sitting on top of the shelves in there and it actually loks nice. For 10 bucks a cedar shelf (Cheap Humidors Cedar Cigar Tray with Divider) .... If interested search for their eBay site they are still $9.99 but have free shipping) with there only 6 spots for trays (not counting the bottom since most of your KL/Beads should go there) its not a bad deal if you dont want to go the entire drawer route (Sorry Forrest just throwing out options for the new guys who may not have the money you know).

Not sure the route I am going just since I kinda like the way the trays look just sitting on the metal shelves (plus its easy access if you want to pull them out and look through the tray you can... its more difficult with built in drawers).

Well that's where I am at right now guys.... I Will continue updating with Pics and changes as the build moves on.

Thanks for checking out this thread and I sure hope this helping out some present and future BOTL on their builds or ideas on what you want to do yourself.


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## Casey Jones

so here is my setup...


IMG_5919 by codalz, on Flickr

IMG_5916 by codalz, on Flickr


IMG_5906 by codalz, on Flickr


IMG_5908 by codalz, on Flickr

IMG_5909 by codalz, on Flickr


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## Casey Jones

IMG_5910 by codalz, on Flickr

IMG_5911 by codalz, on Flickr

IMG_5913 by codalz, on Flickr

IMG_5914 by codalz, on Flickr


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## falconman515

Casey Jones said:


> so here is my setup...


Dude that looks friggin SWEET !!!

You've got some damn good stick in them drawers too brother.

Ohh man I just dont the route I want to go now with my cooler.

Thanks so much brother for posting these on my thread.

Please feel free to contribute in here as much as you like.


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## falconman515

Used some newspaper stuffed in it over night and now today I have it sitting outside airing out.


















FYI on leaving it outside.... its black plastic so if you leave it in direct sunlight it will burn the plastic a bit and bubble it up..... Lesson learned as the bottom of the cooler is all un-even plastic and bubbled a little bit.... cooler is fine and still works but if you run your hand across the plastic you can feel a little warp and bubbling.

Not to pleased with that happening but at least it happened and and I can let you guys so you don't make the same mistake.

Its not back in the house airing out some more.... Gonna give it another baking soda bath and soap wipe down then let it run overnight... and tomorrow throw in some cedar cigar boxes and we'll see if its ready for the trays of smokes by then.


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## Casey Jones

falconman515 said:


> Dude that looks friggin SWEET !!!
> 
> You've got some damn good stick in them drawers too brother.
> 
> Ohh man I just dont the route I want to go now with my cooler.
> 
> Thanks so much brother for posting these on my thread.
> 
> Please feel free to contribute in here as much as you like.


Thanks bro. Really looking forward to seeing how yours turns out!


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## StogieNinja

All I know is, I'm regretting my 16ct purchase. There's really no room for boxes


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## bwhite220

_Subscribed!_

I'm really interested in the winedor route and I love what you have going on here.

Scott, did you make those drawers/shelves yourself or did you use the guy that Chris mentioned?


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## falconman515

bwhite220 said:


> _Subscribed!_
> 
> I'm really interested in the winedor route and I love what you have going on here.
> 
> Scott, did you make those drawers/shelves yourself or did you use the guy that Chris mentioned?


Both Scott and Thom got there drawers from Windeador (Forrest) ... He has Many sets for many different wine coolers, you name it he can make it (He does coolerdors and anything else needed....he's even doing traveldors now)

He makes some amazing looking drawers and shelves.


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## bwhite220

AWESOME!


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## falconman515

Got it cleaned out with some baking soda again and a soap wipe down.... been airing out since it came in now its closed with some empty cedar boxes in there with some DW to kinda start infusing that cigar.cedar smell.

Gonna let it run all night and keep spraying the cedar periodically.

I found that doing this helped with the plastic smell a lot on my last small built.

I have my bags of KL ready to go in and start regulating the RH later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Hopefully it will be ready to throw my tiny stash of cigars and 2 trays in there tomorrow night.

More pictures to come of that as well.


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## chef-zorba

Best thing about this build is that its a slow, day by day, pic by pic, update! Watch as the young wine cooler grows and turns into a cigar pampering machine!!!!


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## falconman515

Update on NewAir .... Seems a bit loud when running. The fan inside runs at all times but not at full speed to keep the temp. Ambient temp is about 78-80 and if you run this cooler at the lowest setting (54) it wont go any lower than 57 and run at full speed max. 

When set at 65-66 the full speed does not run but more of the medium speed to keep the temp right. It will lower to the low fan speed for maybe a minute or so then pop back up to medium and unfortunately medium sounds a lot more annoying than even the highest fan speed.

Seems to be working great but not for getting very cold temps (which are not needed for cigars but when I set it to 54 it should go to 54 in this kind of ambient temp). 

Gonna see if this is normal on the the other guys NewAirs and maybe this is normal for most all wine coolers this size to have the fan running at a lower speed at all times. 

I'll update once I find out more.


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## quo155

falconman515 said:


> Update on NewAir .... Seems a bit loud when running. The fan inside runs at all times but not at full speed to keep the temp. Ambient temp is about 78-80 and if you run this cooler at the lowest setting (54) it wont go any lower than 57 and run at full speed max.
> 
> When set at 65-66 the full speed does not run but more of the medium speed to keep the temp right. It will lower to the low fan speed for maybe a minute or so then pop back up to medium and unfortunately medium sounds a lot more annoying than even the highest fan speed.
> 
> Seems to be working great but not for getting very cold temps (which are not needed for cigars but when I set it to 54 it should go to 54 in this kind of ambient temp).
> 
> Gonna see if this is normal on the the other guys NewAirs and maybe this is normal for most all wine coolers this size to have the fan running at a lower speed at all times.
> 
> I'll update once I find out more.


Chris...great read so far...I'm enjoying it!

On the temperature "issue". I have read several times here on Puff, and other places...as well as I experience about the same in my EdgeStar 28...but that in regards to how a thermoelectric cooler works is off of the ambient temperature. If your ambient room temp is, say 74...the cooler can really not get it any cooler than 64...as there is generally a 10 degree difference with thermoelectric cooling. Also, these work off of moisture in the air...which can also alter how "low" the temp can go...the more humidity in your home, the cooler it could get inside...depending on where the thermostat is placed. There is no colling system, per say in these units. It works exactly like a heat-sink does for a CPU processor. There is no "cooling system"...but rather a hint sink, with fans to create a cooling effect...to lower the temp of what it is cooling...as in these, that would be "space". Moisture is also created by the humidity (if any) in your home as the heat sink cools, it creates condensation...thus why some struggle with this area as well.

There is a lot more to this, but that should be the basics. I hope that will help some...


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## falconman515

quo155 said:


> Chris...great read so far...I'm enjoying it!
> 
> On the temperature "issue". I have read several times here on Puff, and other places...as well as I experience about the same in my EdgeStar 28...but that in regards to how a thermoelectric cooler works is off of the ambient temperature. If your ambient room temp is, say 74...the cooler can really not get it any cooler than 64...as there is generally a 10 degree difference with thermoelectric cooling. Also, these work off of moisture in the air...which can also alter how "low" the temp can go...the more humidity in your home, the cooler it could get inside...depending on where the thermostat is placed. There is no colling system, per say in these units. It works exactly like a heat-sink does for a CPU processor. There is no "cooling system"...but rather a hint sink, with fans to create a cooling effect...to lower the temp of what it is cooling...as in these, that would be "space". Moisture is also created by the humidity (if any) in your home as the heat sink cools, it creates condensation...thus why some struggle with this area as well.
> 
> There is a lot more to this, but that should be the basics. I hope that will help some...


Thanks for the info on that... so really with my ambient temp of 78 for it to even get to 57 is actually better then expected I suppose. I leave it a the max temp (66) and the Caliber III inside shows 66 so the temp display is pretty correct and when at this temp the system doesnt run at full speed.... it just runs at say a medium speed to keep that temp right.

That brings me to another question.... is it just the NewAirs or mostly all other thermo coolers.... When I bring the temp way down the cooler kicks into high and gets cool really fast but when I leave it at say the 66 temp it runs on like a medium speed (Kind of a loud fan hum at this speed thats actually a bit annoying) to just keep the temp stable and on occasion it will drop to a low fan speed thats very quite for maybe a minute then jump back up to the medium speed to continue keeping it stable.

Is this normal for a cooler....the one thing I dont like I have small Emerson 8 bottle cooler that is Thermo and VERY quite... I can never hear it... but this thing in the kitchen at full speed is actually pretty loud and when running at the medium speed the medium humm is a bit annoying as well. The low speed is pleasant not not distracting.

Not sure if this is normal for most wine coolers or other NewAirs but at this point not pleased with the sound and decibel level coming from the unit.

Let me know if this is normal.

Thanks guys.


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## quo155

falconman515 said:


> Thanks for the info on that... so really with my ambient temp of 78 for it to even get to 57 is actually better then expected I suppose. I leave it a the max temp (66) and the Caliber III inside shows 66 so the temp display is pretty correct and when at this temp the system doesnt run at full speed.... it just runs at say a medium speed to keep that temp right.
> 
> That brings me to another question.... is it just the NewAirs or mostly all other thermo coolers.... When I bring the temp way down the cooler kicks into high and gets cool really fast but when I leave it at say the 66 temp it runs on like a medium speed (Kind of a loud fan hum at this speed thats actually a bit annoying) to just keep the temp stable and on occasion it will drop to a low fan speed thats very quite for maybe a minute then jump back up to the medium speed to continue keeping it stable.
> 
> Is this normal for a cooler....the one thing I dont like I have small Emerson 8 bottle cooler that is Thermo and VERY quite... I can never hear it... but this thing in the kitchen at full speed is actually pretty loud and when running at the medium speed the medium humm is a bit annoying as well. The low speed is pleasant not not distracting.
> 
> Not sure if this is normal for most wine coolers or other NewAirs but at this point not pleased with the sound and decibel level coming from the unit.
> 
> Let me know if this is normal.
> 
> Thanks guys.


Since I have an EdgeStar 28...and not a NewAir...I have no idea how yours should sound. With my EdgeStar...there is one fan speed (that I am aware of) however I NEVER hear the fan...as the unit makes absolutely no noise. I knew this before buying mine...and is one of the reasons that I bought this unit...as I didn't want any fan noise. Also, with the additional fans that I use in my unit (I need to get them back int here ASAP)...I did a ton of research and purchased high air movement fans that have about the lowest decibel sound possible...so they are 99% silent (another issue some people have with their additional fans...is the noise caused by them).


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## chef-zorba

I had 2 16 bottle Haier wine coolers that I used for storing.....wait for it............wine. Go figure huh? ound: I had one at 65 and the other at 58. The one at 65 ran quieter than the one at 58. Same units but the colder temp unit was always a little "loud". A rep from Haier explained that even though thermoelectric means "quiet", it has to work harder to keep the temp down at 58 degrees, especially being in southern California where if Im not running the A/C, temps in the house can reach 85 degrees easily. So more work for the cooling motor means a little more noise. At least thats my experience with a Haier Thermo cooler.


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## falconman515

With the couple trays I currently have and the bags of KL in there.

Slowly but surely.


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## cleanerPA

falconman515 said:


> Since Most that read this may be either looking into to getting one or already ordered one the first thing that needs to be done when they arrive is to get that nasty plastic smell out.
> 
> How did you go about getting the smell out of your unit and did you find that using a certain product or doing it a certain way worked better.
> 
> I am looking at letting it sit out in the sun for a day when it arrives tomorrow with the door open then bring it in and use paste up some water and baking soda and wipe it down every few hours and also leave the door open at night with a bowl of baking soda in there as well (or should I close the door with the bowl of BS in there?).
> 
> Just want to get some feedback since that the first step in this new build and will be the first step for any other BOTL that gets a new wine cooler to convert.
> 
> Thanks so much guys for all the info.


You guys are making this way too much of a project- in another wineador thread, someone suggested using crumpled newspaper, due to the carbon content of newsprint ink. Following that suggestion, I stuffed my 12 bottle cooler with crumpled newspapers for about a week and a half. No odor- never scrubbed anything or did anything with chemicals. Very easy to do it this way.

Since I have activated charcoal from another project, I would probably just get a filter bag full of activated charcoal and put it in there to accomplish the same thing.

I'd try that instead of messing with scrubbing and all sorts of chemicals.


----------



## falconman515

cleanerPA said:


> You guys are making this way too much of a project- in another wineador thread, someone suggested using crumpled newspaper, due to the carbon content of newsprint ink. Following that suggestion, I stuffed my 12 bottle cooler with crumpled newspapers for about a week and a half. No odor- never scrubbed anything or did anything with chemicals. Very easy to do it this way.
> 
> Since I have activated charcoal from another project, I would probably just get a filter bag full of activated charcoal and put it in there to accomplish the same thing.
> 
> I'd try that instead of messing with scrubbing and all sorts of chemicals.


Thanks for the info but that alone does not work for everybody... many people have to do a lot more all depending on the make and model of the cooler.

I think if everyone has all the options it can be a process of elimination for most.


----------



## jordanwimb

Looking good, mang! Excited to see it finished!


----------



## falconman515

jordanwimb said:


> Looking good, mang! Excited to see it finished!


Mu plan was to be able to order Forrests (Wineador) drawers and shelves very soon but I am going to have to wait on them.

For now I am just sticking with the metal racks and using the Spanish cedar trays I got from Cheaphumidors (Cheap Humidors Cedar Cigar Tray with Divider).

I have 2 of them (its the two in the last picture above in the middle) already from my small 8 bottle wine cooler... the NewAir has 7 levels so I will be using the bottom level for my KL and fans and the remaining 6 for the trays

My plan is to buy 4 more (total of 6) and use that for time being till I can afford Forrests drawers system.... then the 6 trays I have at some point the wine cooler will be too full and if that happens I will be buying a Coolerdor set-up and use the 6 trays in my large 100+quart cooler.

So I placed my order for the Oust fans, another Caliber III hygro and 4 more trays.

At that point the build will be done for the moment and put on hold till I get the drawers system.

I will update with all findings as far condensation, KL and Rh, etc. as this goes along.

Thanks for watching guys and I sure hope this thread helps out a future BOTL.


----------



## falconman515

FYI for those looking to make the purchase of this 28 Bottle NewAir Wine Cooler on Air N Waters eBay website (best Price around $175 Shipped).

When you make a purchase on eBay a lot of electronics qualify for a 3rd party warranty.

When you place an order on their direct webiste they carry the same warranty there but its through RepairMaster and their 3 Year Extended Warranty Runs $59.99 extra.

Now if you purchase through their eBay site (which is a big price difference between their regular site as far as pricing... for sure get it on eBay) you will receive an email saying your purchase qualifies for a 3 year extended warranty via SquareTrade (very reputable company from what I have heard and read) for $49.99.

So there is a savings on a 3 year warranty here for $10 .... BUT I am sure you will get the same email I got..... I placed the order a week ago and today I received an updated Squaretrade email stating looks "looks like you haven't taken advantage of the extended warranty we have to offer, if your still interested here is a 20% coupon code for your 3 year extended warranty.

Now the 3 year Warranty to add is only $39.99

Here is the details when you click on the coupon code:

* Covered Item:*
new 28 bottle wine refrigerator chiller cellar c item
*Coverage Length:*
3 years of Extended Coverage more
*Coverage Details:*
100% Parts & Labor - Zero Deductibles.
*Care Plan Price:*
$49.99
Your Price after 20% Discount *$39.99*
*Buy Risk Free:* 
Transfer or cancel at any time

*So all in all for this cooler with a 3 Year Extended Warranty it would only cost you total shipped: $215.21 !!!*

If you purchased this on Air N Waters Website (at the current sale price right now) with the RepaiMaster 3 year warranty your total would be $263.90

That's a $48.69 savings. and cheaper than any other cooler on the market without a warranty.

Just thought I would pass this info on in case you are thinking of taking the plung.... This unit seems to be a great unit so far, looks amazing, has all the things all other coolers have for half the price.... and with a 3 year warranty.... You can have peace of mind knowing if it dies out on in your in a couple years your covered for a Brand New one or your money back!

Not a bad deal I would say!


----------



## falconman515

Just ordered another 4 cheaphumidor Spanish Cedar trays and another Caliber III Digital Hygrometer (so I can have one at the bottom and top to make sure Rh is even).

I will update with pictures once they arrive (and get seasoned for a few days) and get put in the cooler with the new hygro.


----------



## falconman515

*2 wine coolers with all $10 Cheaphumidor Trays!*

Found a thread talking about the cheaphumidor trays for coolerdors and also saw a guy using them in his wine coolers as well.

another thing I found using these trays as well is that normally you use the bottom shelf for beads/KL but these trays aren't as deep as drawer system so there is plenty of room behind them to lay some media bags of KL horizontally and you wont see the beads at all...which in turn frees up the bottom shelf for a 7th tray!!! That what this guy did... he has small trays of beads behind like every other tray and they cant be seen at all... its shown in picture 2.

I wanted to post it cause this is a good cheap route to start and though I am using the trays I never thought about installing handles as well so they can be easily grabbed and pulled off the shelf.

Check it out.... I think I may go look for a some cheap handles and do this (not a huge fan of the black but I want to try and find handles that match the handle on the front of the NewAir door.... that would look cool!


----------



## malibubts

Jealous of you living in CA, maybe that tax was worth it. Mine should be arriving today.


----------



## bwhite220

I can't wait to get one of these.


----------



## cleanerPA

Do you need all of those drawers? I have two boxes with singles in them, the rest are all in their original boxes- it was much more space efficient for me to stick with shelves and use boxes for storage.

I figure that way, you don't get too much air circulation, so they will age better.


----------



## falconman515

cleanerPA said:


> Do you need all of those drawers? I have two boxes with singles in them, the rest are all in their original boxes- it was much more space efficient for me to stick with shelves and use boxes for storage.
> 
> I figure that way, you don't get too much air circulation, so they will age better.


Being new mostly all of my stuff thus far is single (as I think most new guys would have) So I decided to make this entire cooler nothing but trays for singles, 5 packs and mazos.

Now when I get to a point where I start finding the sticks I like and start buying boxes at that point this thing will be full I'm sure then I will moving over to a coolerdor for the boxed stuff.

At this time though the more trays the better for me but some may be different... if that the case then they can just maybe order 2, 3, 4 trays and use the remaining cooler for boxes!

This si just the option I decided to go with but there are tons of configurations and however you decide to set yours up is up to you.

This thread is for suggestions and to show I built mine so yes all those trays are needed.


----------



## nanilla

Casey, where are your drawers from?

Thanks


----------



## Casey Jones

Forrest (Wineador) made them.


----------



## cleanerPA

falconman515 said:


> Being new mostly all of my stuff thus far is single (as I think most new guys would have) So I decided to make this entire cooler nothing but trays for singles, 5 packs and mazos.
> 
> Now when I get to a point where I start finding the sticks I like and start buying boxes at that point this thing will be full I'm sure then I will moving over to a coolerdor for the boxed stuff.
> 
> At this time though the more trays the better for me but some may be different... if that the case then they can just maybe order 2, 3, 4 trays and use the remaining cooler for boxes!
> 
> This si just the option I decided to go with but there are tons of configurations and however you decide to set yours up is up to you.
> 
> This thread is for suggestions and to show I built mine so yes all those trays are needed.


Hey no big deal, just giving some feedback because I found that I need more shelf space and less drawers if anything.

I've got one space nearly full in my cooler, can maybe fit three or four more boxes tops and I'll have to get a NewAir myself. :beerchug:


----------



## Johnpaul

If the fans are too loud and you don't mind the warranty issue I would be willing to help you swap them out with quiet ones. I have done this a lot with computers because I can't stand the noise. I might even have some free ones depending on the size you need.

Regarding the earlier comments on how the thermoelectric work they are active cooling devices. The difference is that they work on a much lower temperature differential than a compressor based unit. This gives them a max cooling ability of about 30 deg max under ambient best case.

Regarding the fan running on high or low they are designed that way on purpose. If it is only having to adjust a deg or two it runs the fans slower to keep temperature swings to a minimum as that is very bad for wine.


----------



## falconman515

Johnpaul said:


> If the fans are too loud and you don't mind the warranty issue I would be willing to help you swap them out with quiet ones. I have done this a lot with computers because I can't stand the noise. I might even have some free ones depending on the size you need.
> 
> Regarding the earlier comments on how the thermoelectric work they are active cooling devices. The difference is that they work on a much lower temperature differential than a compressor based unit. This gives them a max cooling ability of about 30 deg max under ambient best case.
> 
> Regarding the fan running on high or low they are designed that way on purpose. If it is only having to adjust a deg or two it runs the fans slower to keep temperature swings to a minimum as that is very bad for wine.


Thanks for the info bro! Ya its not to bad of a noise at all but I had a small 8 bottle cooler that was not as loud so I was thinking this large unit would be about the same.

After having it and letting it stick at 66 degrees (which all depending on what you have in the cooler when leaving at 66 its stay around 68-69 degrees which I think is perfect) and letting the fan slow to a steady pace the noise isn't bad at all... now if the house is really quite in the morning I can hear it easy but when its just during the day and the TV is on or other things are going its no existent.

Thanks for the offer on the fans but I'll just stick with what it has at the moment.... I'm gonna be purchasing a 3 year extended warranty on this thing so I cant make those kind of changes to the system.

I have an Oust fan coming in to help with a little more airflow.

Trays ordered, new hygro, and fan....... Will be updating with some more pics soon.


----------



## falconman515

Here's a few pics I found of the NewAir to reference to when browsing this thread.


----------



## JumboJoseph

Man It stinks being on unemployment atm, so many things i want/need lol. In time i will have a wineador but i think for now it will be a coolador, some KL, small fans and maybe a oasis systemand cheap ceder trays. Falconman515 i really dig what you have done for starting out. Give's someone like me hope.:flame:


----------



## falconman515

JumboJoseph said:


> Man It stinks being on unemployment atm, so many things i want/need lol. In time i will have a wineador but i think for now it will be a coolador, some KL, small fans and maybe a oasis systemand cheap ceder trays. Falconman515 i really dig what you have done for starting out. Give's someone like me hope.:flame:


A Good Coolerdor with some cheap KL and an oust fan or 2 is perfect to start!

If at some point you end with alot of cigars and buy a wine cooler, you can use the coolerdor for all you boxes and what not and make the wine cooler drawers / trays for singles and a few boxes of the good stuff.

Thats basically what I am doing but the other way around.... got the wine cooler first which will be singles etc (since I'm new most of my stuff is singles from samplers, 5 packs and bombs). then once its full of a bunch of singles and at some point a trays or 2 of a couple mazos or so I will get a coolerdor for all the overflow and boxes.

Its not a cheap hobby by any means but a fun one and a tasty one at that.

I wish you luck on your whatever route you take and let em know if I can help in any way.


----------



## JumboJoseph

Thanks for the words. Still keep in mind i do have a humidor rdy to be seasoned, once my boveda packs get here. But i got my wish list already set up on a few website and already am at 140 sticks...... Humi is only 125 count lol. Cna you offer a though ton a good cooler to start me of with?


----------



## falconman515

JumboJoseph said:


> Thanks for the words. Still keep in mind i do have a humidor rdy to be seasoned, once my boveda packs get here. But i got my wish list already set up on a few website and already am at 140 sticks...... Humi is only 125 count lol. Cna you offer a though ton a good cooler to start me of with?


It's on sale right now and a lot of guys use it I have seen.

Coleman Cooler, Marine, 150 Quart - Walmart.com

It has the slots inside the cooler kind of like a wine cooler where you can make some cedar shelves or even have Forrest (wineador) make you custom ones.

Its a huge size for a killer price right now that works Perfect for a coolerdor if you want to go that big to start (Which I suggest in this Hobby cause it can get out of hand quick).

Hope this helped.

PM me if I can help any further.


----------



## JumboJoseph

That would be great, thanks falconman515, think i just order some ceder trays and make my shelves. I will go with Forrest when it comes to a wineador :attention:. Think friday i just migh tgo pick this bad boy up with some KL, need Kl anyway for my humidor


----------



## falconman515

FYI on the blue "NewAir" emblem on the front door glass....................

Its not like the earlier NewAirs where its a white sticker basically.... this one is like actually for lack of a better word Painted on the glass.

It just scratches off very easy.... I took my finger nail to a corner edge and it chipped right away.

So just so you the emblem can come off very easy cause most of us don't care for the emblem to be on the front (It covers all the good stuff we wanna see).

I am keeping mine on for the first 30 days (the initial return policy period) in case I run into an issue with the cooler I don't want it to be altered in anyway you know.

I know a lot of guys are looking at these so just another tid bit to know about the cooler.

More to come when the trays arrive this weekend.


----------



## chef-zorba

falconman515 said:


> It's on sale right now and a lot of guys use it I have seen.
> 
> Coleman Cooler, Marine, 150 Quart - Walmart.com
> 
> It has the slots inside the cooler kind of like a wine cooler where you can make some cedar shelves or even have Forrest (wineador) make you custom ones.
> 
> Its a huge size for a killer price right now that works Perfect for a coolerdor if you want to go that big to start (Which I suggest in this Hobby cause it can get out of hand quick).
> 
> Hope this helped.
> 
> PM me if I can help any further.


BUY IT!!! Ill be posting a build thread very soon!! $70.00 delivered????


----------



## ShortFuse

falconman515 said:


> FYI on the blue "NewAir" emblem on the front door glass....................
> 
> Its not like the earlier NewAirs where its a white sticker basically.... this one is like actually for lack of a better word Painted on the glass.
> 
> It just scratches off very easy.... I took my finger nail to a corner edge and it chipped right away.


Mine was kind of like a vinyl window cling and it came right off. Who knows? Your set up is looking good though! My wife is enjoying the KL in there as it only requires a monthly check up. Once winter hits and the furnace is on at the house, I told her to look weekly. Should have some nicely rested sticks in there by the time I see it again!


----------



## falconman515

ShortFuse said:


> Mine was kind of like a vinyl window cling and it came right off. Who knows? Your set up is looking good though! My wife is enjoying the KL in there as it only requires a monthly check up. Once winter hits and the furnace is on at the house, I told her to look weekly. Should have some nicely rested sticks in there by the time I see it again!


Ohh it looked at bit like a sticker that may leave some gunk behind... but I knew that came off too so thats good. Just wanted to let anyone looking at getting a new one they use this painted on kind of stuff but it seem like it will chip off easy.

some may wonder if this would come off or not... just letting you guys know that it does.

Ya those are gonna be some nice sticks ready and waiting for you when you get back bro! Thats awesome that the better half is taking care of your stash while your away.

Thanks for being over their away from your family and keeping us safe bro... we are all in debt to you and your service!!!

Talk with you soon.


----------



## Johnpaul

Chris you are starting to inspire me to build some drawers for mine. I just got my first order in and it doesn't fit very efficiently in cigar boxes. I have a small woodshop at my house. Any interest in some DIY building?


----------



## falconman515

Johnpaul said:


> Chris you are starting to inspire me to build some drawers for mine. I just got my first order in and it doesn't fit very efficiently in cigar boxes. I have a small woodshop at my house. Any interest in some DIY building?


As far as building drawers and what not I will leave that up to the pros... I thought about getting some shelves made then building on top of them to may basically a drawer/shelf tray (Kind of a drawer) but then I thought why spend the 15 bucks a shelf to to that when I don't need ti just yet and have to buy the expensive Spanish cedar.

I am going to get a full set of 4 drawers, 2 shelves, and 4 KL coffins from Forrest for sure.... but right now cant fully afford it so I just dropped the 50 bucks on 5 more cheaphumidor trays for now (already had 2 in the other cooler for a total of 7). I will move those over to a cooler at a later date when this wine cooler gets filled so they wont go to waste and then hopefully at that time get a full system from Forrest.

Not to great with wood so I leave that to the guys who know what they are doing or just buy some cheap trays like I did.

With 7 trays I can easily fit 300+ smoke throughout the cooler and have plenty of room behind for circulation, KL in the bags on every other level, and a fan or 2.

Thats about where I am at right now.... I am trying to find some cheap drawer pulls to put on the trays for easy handling and a nicer look as well (Lowes has some PERFECT ones that match the handle on the Newairs door but they are on clearance for a buck and were out of stock).

But its coming along and I'm happy with it so far!


----------



## Johnpaul

I understand where you are coming from and that's totally cool. Forest has some great looking stuff and from what I see his prices are more than fair. My problem is that I have the tools and so I have to make instead of buy to justify having spent the money on the tools.

Don't forget to check out home depot, osh, and fresno ag because they all have different drawer pulls. If you need any help let me know. I would be happy to lend a hand to a fellow BOTL.


----------



## nanilla

Falcon how are you liking your set-up?

I am looking to jump in with a cooler here in the next few days. Looking to get either the NewAir aw280e or the 281e. I have a quote from Forrest so I will def go that route.

Wanted to get some opinions on my possible fan set-up. I was thinking of running 4 80mm coolerguy fans, which would connect to a 4 port fan speed controller, then the controller would connect to an AC to 12v DC power supply with 4 pin molex. Finally, attach the power supply to a timer. I was thinking of positioning the fans on the bottom and towards the back of the wineador, two facing up and two facing towards the front.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance.


----------



## falconman515

nanilla said:


> Falcon how are you liking your set-up?
> 
> I am looking to jump in with a cooler here in the next few days. Looking to get either the NewAir aw280e or the 281e. I have a quote from Forrest so I will def go that route.
> 
> Wanted to get some opinions on my possible fan set-up. I was thinking of running 4 80mm coolerguy fans, which would connect to a 4 port fan speed controller, then the controller would connect to an AC to 12v DC power supply with 4 pin molex. Finally, attach the power supply to a timer. I was thinking of positioning the fans on the bottom and towards the back of the wineador, two facing up and two facing towards the front.
> 
> Any other suggestions?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


I wish I can help you when it comes to fans.... the internal fan runs at all times so it gets plenty of circulation at the top to I just went ahead and got an Oust fan for the bottom to push a little bit of the Rh up and around.... I have moved my hygro from the top to the bottom and only seen about a 1% difference in Rh so really I don't think going to far into outfitting a cooler with fans like that in necessary really.

I am pleased with the 280 model ... plus they don't have a 281 on eBay and if your gonna buy from Air N Water eBay is the route to go to save lots of money... plus going through eBay gives you the better and cheaper Squaretrade warranty option.

I dont care for the silver door either to much thats why I didnt go Edgestar (plus it had no external temp control either) or want to get the 281 .... the 281 is the same internal but it has a deeper back with a silver door and shelves (and the shelves dont matter since your going with drawers).

I think you would be pleased no matter what route you go no matter what.

Sure hope you get one soon... be soon to chime in here with your thoughts on your set-up and post a bunch of pics (feel free to piggy back off this thread... its for new BOTL to learn of this option really).

Thanks bro and let me know if I can help any further.


----------



## bwhite220

You'll never believe what I found today! A Venotemp VT-12TEDI for $25!! It is not as big as I would like but he has 2 of them for $25 each! I'm going to go buy them Saturday and get started! I'm going to PM Forest tonight to check out prices. I'm beyond excited!


----------



## falconman515

bwhite220 said:


> You'll never believe what I found today! A Venotemp VT-12TEDI for $25!! It is not as big as I would like but he has 2 of them for $25 each! I'm going to go buy them Saturday and get started! I'm going to PM Forest tonight to check out prices. I'm beyond excited!


 *SCORE !!!!!!!* :smoke:

Forrest can build anything!!!

His prices are $35 for drawers and 15$ for Shelves (your entire order shipped for $15). This includes whatever style shelf and drawer pulls.

So they are 12's huh.... So you can go up to 6 drawers if you want (a 12 is 3 levels correct?

Or one with 3 drawers for singles and the other for boxes!

Make sure we get some pictures bro... Post them in the "Take A Pic Of Your Wineador" thread I started.

Nice find bro!!! :cowboyic9:


----------



## Johnpaul

bwhite220 said:


> You'll never believe what I found today! A Venotemp VT-12TEDI for $25!! It is not as big as I would like but he has 2 of them for $25 each! I'm going to go buy them Saturday and get started! I'm going to PM Forest tonight to check out prices. I'm beyond excited!


Congrats on the score man. Check out my "$12 Vinotemp" thread. These thing are prone to breaking but luckily are easy and cheap to fix.


----------



## Charlie G.

This is just the thread I've been waiting for. I hope to do a build of my own around xmas. I to will be going with the NewAir as I don't like the silver look of the other wine coolers.
I will be following this thread to see how your unit holds up and if there is any troubles with the NewAir.
Many thanks for the pictures that you guys are posting also. It gives us thinking of doing a build just how it will look finished.


----------



## falconman515

Charlie G. said:


> This is just the thread I've been waiting for. I hope to do a build of my own around xmas. I to will be going with the NewAir as I don't like the silver look of the other wine coolers.
> I will be following this thread to see how your unit holds up and if there is any troubles with the NewAir.
> Many thanks for the pictures that you guys are posting also. It gives us thinking of doing a build just how it will look finished.


This is the reason I take time to write so much info and take pictures of the progress and bring in pics of other NewAirs as well!

Just this reply makes this whole thing worth it.

Helping out a single BOTL or many is well worth my time and effort.

Glad I can help. :cowboyic9:


----------



## quo155

bwhite220 said:


> You'll never believe what I found today! A Venotemp VT-12TEDI for $25!! It is not as big as I would like but he has 2 of them for $25 each! I'm going to go buy them Saturday and get started! I'm going to PM Forest tonight to check out prices. I'm beyond excited!


Awesome Brandon...that is a SCORE!

Can't wait to see pics in the "photo" thread for wineadors!!!


----------



## Bravo_Kilo

First post here, but figured I'd add to this thread since it inspired me to order a NewAir AW-280. I ordered direct from Air & Water Inc's website, and saved 12% by using the coupon code, COUPONSWINE12. That put me at $182.47 with shipping. Hope this saves someone a few bucks. Looking forward to getting it, and ordering some of Forrest's beautiful drawers.


----------



## falconman515

Bravo_Kilo said:


> First post here, but figured I'd add to this thread since it inspired me to order a NewAir AW-280. I ordered direct from Air & Water Inc's website, and saved 12% by using the coupon code, COUPONSWINE12. That put me at $182.47 with shipping. Hope this saves someone a few bucks. Looking forward to getting it, and ordering some of Forrest's beautiful drawers.


NICE !!! Be Sure to post your pics and piggy back on this thread.

Still a good price with the coupon code online... eBay is your cheapest at $175 but those who dont use [email protected]@l possibly and want to get it from their direct site this is the way to go.



Bravo_Kilo said:


> It inspired me to order a NewAir AW-280


This is why I did this thread ... Its a great price for a quality cooler and in my opinion the best looking cooler on the market.

Glad to see this thread has helped out so much.

Let me know if I can help anyone further?


----------



## Bravo_Kilo

falconman515 said:


> NICE !!! Be Sure to post your pics and piggy back on this thread.
> 
> Still a good price with the coupon code online... eBay is your cheapest at $175 but those who dont use [email protected]@l possibly and want to get it from their direct site this is the way to go.
> 
> This is why I did this thread ... Its a great price for a quality cooler and in my opinion the best looking cooler on the market.
> 
> Glad to see this thread has helped out so much.
> 
> Let me know if I can help anyone further?


I would've went the eBay route, but when I looked, I didn't see a single AW-280. Although I was searching with the eBay app on my iPad, so I may have missed it. I saw a 21 bottle cooler listed for $155, but no 28s. That prompted me to start searching for Air & Water coupon codes, and since I found one that worked, I figured what the heck, and placed my order.

I'll post a few pics of my progress. Thanks for starting this thread, falconman! I've been stewing on what cooler to go with for months.:mrgreen:


----------



## falconman515

Bravo_Kilo said:


> I would've went the eBay route, but when I looked, I didn't see a single AW-280. Although I was searching with the eBay app on my iPad, so I may have missed it. I saw a 21 bottle cooler listed for $155, but no 28s. That prompted me to start searching for Air & Water coupon codes, and since I found one that worked, I figured what the heck, and placed my order.
> 
> I'll post a few pics of my progress. Thanks for starting this thread, falconman! I've been stewing on what cooler to go with for months.:mrgreen:


Gotcha.... ya they sold out once while I was looking at it on eBay and then re-listed a few days later.... they may have sold out on their eBay and just haven't re-listed it yet..... but that's basically the same price you got on their site any so way to go on finding that coupon code.

Glad I could help bro, let me know if I can help any further once it arrives.


----------



## falconman515

A couple more pics on the progress ......

Found some drawer pull handles on clearance at Lowes for $1.09 a piece on bought 7 of them for all the cheaphumidor trays I ordered ( I have 3 right now the other 4 will be here Tuesday).

This is the picture of the handles I found and what they look like on the tray.

I was trying to find a handle that when you saw it on the tray through the glass it closely resembled the brushed nickel color of the front door handle on the NewAir.

For the price these turned out looking great I think and adds a little bit of class to the initial cheaphumidor trays in the mean time till I get a true drawer system down the road from Forrest.

Once the rest of the drawers come In I will be mounting all the handles and I will get a picture of what all 7 shelves look like filled with trays and handles on each and 2 Caliber III hygros mounted at the top and bottom on the front left of each tray.

Hope this helps out someone looking to maybe to go the cheap tray route to start and how to make it look a little better.


----------



## falconman515

Ok I took my 2 existing trays I already had that were in the cooler and got the handles installed on both of those.... also the Oust fan came in today and I got that sitting on the bottom pointing up to move humidity around from the bottom.

Once I get all the trays in the bags of KL will be laying on the back of the metal shelves horizontally on the bottom and top also top shelve and 2 in between (I will take a pic of where these are located next week when all the trays come in and I move everything around). The small bag kinda handing on the rack is where the fan is .... This will be a different bag when I get all the KL placed in the right spot but I will make sure I leave a dry bag of KL here to capture the moisture coming from the fan ( I read somewhere this is good to do when the fan runs at all times so the cold moisture air isn't hitting directly on the cigars).

The fan may move to the first shelf as well (I'm gonna mount it to the bottom the of the first wire rack somehow.

Also as you can see I took apart the Oust fan and took some heavy scissors to the front part of the fan and cut out the plastic to open it up for more air to move from the fan into the open (when the front part is on it really restricts the airflow coming from the fan).

I have a blurry pic of the electrical tape on the drain as well... I don't get hardly any condensation and with the electrical tape I lose no humidity as my hygro stays perfectly all depending on what location of the cooler from 62-67% Rh !!!

I will be getting the other 4 trays in the mail Tuesday and will need a few days to season them in another igloo cooler I have before I put them in the wineador (I may mount the handles and slide them in the cooler to take a pic of what it looks like with all trays in there in case you may be thinking of sticking with trays to start off with).

Let me know if you have any questions on my progress thus far.

Thanks for watching my build and I hope this out some other BOTL.


----------



## szyzk

Chris, the wineador is looking better and better with each improvement you make! Good job.


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## falconman515

szyzk said:


> Chris, the wineador is looking better and better with each improvement you make! Good job.


Thanks so much brother!!!

Wish I could get a full drawer / shelving system but this will have to do for now.

Plus I hope this thread helps for guys looking at this model and maybe wanting to put together a cost effective wineador!

Its fun keeping track of the progress and I'm glad I can give back to the site thats given me so much and made me so friggin broke now a days!!! LOL


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## Johnpaul

Those handles look really nice, and for a buck look even better. Just one suggestion though. I don't think electrical tape is going to hold up over time. What I used was some hot melt glue. It covers the hole and it insulates at the same time. If you need to remove it later all you need is some alcohol and a q tip and it will pop right off.


----------



## falconman515

Johnpaul said:


> Those handles look really nice, and for a buck look even better. Just one suggestion though. I don't think electrical tape is going to hold up over time. What I used was some hot melt glue. It covers the hole and it insulates at the same time. If you need to remove it later all you need is some alcohol and a q tip and it will pop right off.


Thanks for the tip ... I figured I would need to do something different at some point but didn't want to do anything drastic to the unit cause the extended warranty may not kick in if I do anything major to the unit.

I will get with you at some point and get more details on how you did this and exactly what products you used.

thanks again for some further info and ideas.


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## Johnpaul

I will post It here so you can add it to your collective

Hot melt glue 101

Hot melt is just a plastic that melts at a fairly low temperature. It is used a lot in arts and crafts. The gun you use can be had for a couple of dollars at any craft or sewing store. To use the gun you plug it in, shove the plastic stick in the back of it, wait for it to heat up, and pull the trigger to make it come out the front (that's what she said) It re-solidifies in a few seconds. The glue is not really glue it is just plastic.

To remove from a smooth surface you can often just pop it off with a little pressure or take a q-tip dipped in alcohol and rub around the base of the glue. It will loosen the joint and you can pop it off with no damage or junk left behind. It is very friendly stuff.


----------



## falconman515

Johnpaul said:


> I will post It here so you can add it to your collective
> 
> Hot melt glue 101
> 
> Hot melt is just a plastic that melts at a fairly low temperature. It is used a lot in arts and crafts. The gun you use can be had for a couple of dollars at any craft or sewing store. To use the gun you plug it in, shove the plastic stick in the back of it, wait for it to heat up, and pull the trigger to make it come out the front (that's what she said) It re-solidifies in a few seconds. The glue is not really glue it is just plastic.
> 
> To remove from a smooth surface you can often just pop it off with a little pressure or take a q-tip dipped in alcohol and rub around the base of the glue. It will loosen the joint and you can pop it off with no damage or junk left behind. It is very friendly stuff.


Sounds like a perfect idea.... something that I can do that wont leave behind any marks or damage to the unit.

I will have to pick this up next time I'm at the store.

Thanks for the info bro.


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## bradfordcharles

Looks great! I'm working on a 32 ct. Haier right now, although I am building my own drawers. We'll see how that works out... I might be getting in touch with Forrest soon!

My main problem is that I am spending way more on cigars to fill my wineador than I planned, so building shelves has taken a backseat. Unfortunately, I'm running out of room, so drawers soon!

I'll be sure to post pics as I go, and probably ask for boatloads of help along the way. You seem to really know what you're doing. Keep up the good work, and happy smoking!


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## falconman515

bradfordcharles said:


> I'll be sure to post pics as I go, and probably ask for boatloads of help along the way. You seem to really know what you're doing. Keep up the good work, and happy smoking!


I look forward to the pics and I would be happy to help any way I can!


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## falconman515

The remaining 4 trays arrived today!!!

I have drilled the holes for the handles and they are sitting in the igloo cooler with a few sponges of DW to season for a few days.

Once seasoned I will put on the handles and place everything in the cooler and take a semi-final picture of the cooler.

It's coming along.... At least now with these new trays I don't have to worry try to fit my stash into just 2 trays.

It's coming along!


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## TonyBrooklyn

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:rockon::high5::bounce:


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## szyzk

Chris, how many trays total do you think you can fit in the NewAir?

Edit: I know that I can review other photos to get a good idea, but I have no idea what trays people used. Chris is apparently getting the same ones that I put in my coolers.


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## falconman515

szyzk said:


> Chris, how many trays total do you think you can fit in the NewAir?
> 
> Edit: I know that I can review other photos to get a good idea, but I have no idea what trays people used. Chris is apparently getting the same ones that I put in my coolers.


Well I am using the metal racks that comes with the cooler to sit the cedar trays on top of so I will be putting in 7 total trays.

Now if you wanted to remove the wire shelving and stack em up in there you could go I'm sure about 9-10 total (more like 9 but maybe 10).

I didn't want to stack em up cause if I had to get to some stick on the bottom I would hate taking the whole thing out to get to the bottom trays.
Plus with the wire shelves in there I have something to lay my media bags of KL on top of from the top to the bottom behind the trays. I will also be mounting the Oust fan to the bottom sire shelf pointing up as well.

Its looking good so far I'm just glad to know have all the extra trays for more sticks ... Those 2 trays weren't cutting it anymore ... And I've got an order of almost 50 sticks coming in this Thursday and next Thursday (once this weeks auction lot closes) so I need more space.

Thanks for watching guys and I hope this thread is helping get some ideas.


----------



## szyzk

falconman515 said:


> Well I am using the metal racks that comes with the cooler to sit the cedar trays on top of so I will be putting in 7 total trays.


Could you do me a favor? It doesn't look like it from your pictures, but if you removed a wire rack, could you stack three trays in the empty space?

I'm convinced that one of these isn't big enough for my singles, but I'm also convinced that I want to buy one! What I'm looking for is to see if it's possible to use it with this setup: keep the bottom open for beads/fans then have a wire rack with three trays, another wire rack with three more trays, and then possibly one more rack with three trays.


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## falconman515

szyzk said:


> Could you do me a favor? It doesn't look like it from your pictures, but if you removed a wire rack, could you stack three trays in the empty space?
> 
> I'm convinced that one of these isn't big enough for my singles, but I'm also convinced that I want to buy one! What I'm looking for is to see if it's possible to use it with this setup: keep the bottom open for beads/fans then have a wire rack with three trays, another wire rack with three more trays, and then possibly one more rack with three trays.


I will for sure try and figure this out for you! At the moment I have my 4 trays seasoning in the igloo cooler and I don't want to get into and let out the Rh building up in there with all the sponges and DW.... Once they are ready to be put in the cooler in a couple days I will get my pictures up of what it looks like plus figure out if your above stated configuration will work.

I don't think you can get all 9 trays with 3 racks in ... The reason being is on these NewAirs the slots on the side walls in the plastic are spaced apart twice as much as other brands like Vino and Edgestar. If you see those units the rack slides are spaced apart half as much and have twice the amount of open sections.

If this was the case it may works somehow ... but what will happen is you will place rack in with 2 trays then there wont be enough room for the third tray after the next wire shelf goes in.

If that makes sense... but looking at it and doing a quick eyball measurement that may be the case.

I will find out more once I get the trays seasoned and start moving stuff around and putting everything in its final spot.


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## Rock31

Nice build so far  one day I'll organize the stash.


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## falconman515

....................................................................

*Watcha Think ??? I kinda like this look !!!*


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## bwhite220

Well done bro!!


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## jordanwimb

I like it, mang!

Nice work!


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## Bravo_Kilo

Looking good! I got my NewAir yesterday - still working on getting rid of the plastic smell.


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## khunter

i just hope my build come out as nice as this one great job falconman!!!! looks amazing!


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## jp13

Dig it! :tu


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## Boom

Looks Great Chris!!!!


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## The Muffin Man

Chris, as I said before and I'll say it again... its looking beautiful. Your build is what I'm currently modeling my build (in the very near future) after.


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## falconman515

Thanks so much for the kudos guys!!!

I have the media bags with KL, Fan etc. behind all the trays... I will update with all the trays pulled out and how I positioned the KL, bags and fans behind everything.

I have the two Caliber III's on the front of the trays as you can see one at top and one at bottom to get a better gauge on how the Rh is moving around the unit.

Pretty happy with the build thus far and I like having the extra space for future purchases.

My trading will be slowing down due to recent events but I look forward to exploring other avenues of trade to keep the cigars moving.

Thanks again for the kind words and I hope this is helping out some of you BOTL in your builds as well.

I will update with some further pictures once i have all the materials where I want them and how I want them configured.


----------



## falconman515

Here's some pics of whats going on behind the trays at the moment as far as humidity and air products.

I have 2 large 4x12 bags of KL toward the bottom (bottom one is pretty moist with DW, the second big one is lightly sprayed throughout the outer gab on the surface) and 2 3x8 bags in the top middle and top (the middle one is very lightly sprayed ato keep some Rh up top and to also sit in front of the fan and capture some of the cold air moisture coming off the fan at all times, and the top bag is dry... this will pull some of the Rh up doing this from what I have read). At the moment there is about a 3% difference from the bottom and top Caliber III hygros.

The Oust fan lays Perfectly in the rounded groove of the rack and has a slight angle pointed outward up which is Perfect! I may buy another to put on the same shelf to point up to the right (and stagger the on off cycle of the two fans so one is pulling while the other is off for more airflow more of the time). I thought I was going to have to maybe zip tie this to hold and point where I want but it lays there exactly how I wanted it too.

I have some ties on the back rack so there is more support in the middle of the media bags (not sure if you can see the black ties in the middle left and right back of the wire shelf holding up more of the bag).

And of course the electric tape on the drain that is working like a charm so far and is not letting any Rh out and there is pretty much NO condensation coming off the unit (which is good considering its over 100 here and around 80 where the cooler is). I got advice from another local BOTL to use craft glue as it wont stick and ruin the plastic or pipe and can be peeled of easy (may need a little swab of alcohol to help remove if needed).

I am getting a large order form CBID next week so when the trays are pretty full I will pull out and stagger the trays and take a almost final pic of the goods inside.

Thanks again for subscribing to my thread and I hope this helps your future build.


----------



## nanilla

So I have just about everything I need to finish up my edgestar build, and I wanted to share where I am at, and add to this already great thread. Thanks everyone for "convincing" me this was necessary.

The wine cooler is the 28 bottle capacity NewAir Aw281. I really liked the look of this fridge, that was my main reason for picking it over the 280. I have not finished airing it out yet, I am letting it run now then will use baking soda and vinegar and wash it out, then let it air dry.

For my fan set-up I got 3 Ecomaster T.B Silence Fans (these are incredibly quite), each has a 3 pin molex connector. I then got a fan speed controller with four ports that uses the same 3 pin connector in and 4 pin molex out. Next, I got AC to DC power supply with 4 pin molex to connect to the fan speed controller. Finally I purchased an outlet timer. I did need to enlarge the reservoir hole a bit to be able to fit the 3 pin connectors from the fan through.

I am going to place all three fans on the bottom and back of the cooler. Two facing forward and one facing up.

I also Purchased 2.5 pounds of ConservaGel beads, and got the bags for the beads from Petsmart as suggested by Chris.

I also have two hygros that will go on the Drawers from Forrest, that will hopefully have in the next week or two. I ordered 4 double drawers and three shelves (one at the very bottom).

I will post up more pictures when the drawers get here and its all done.


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## falconman515

*^^^ VERY NICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ^^^*

Love that you are sharing some different options on how to go about using fans, timers, and temp controls.

I have held of from using any of this yet but maybe at some point I may do this as well.

Very nice and please feel free to post more pics and ideas here as well.


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## bwhite220

NICE!!


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## Bravo_Kilo

nanilla said:


> So I have just about everything I need to finish up my edgestar build, and I wanted to share where I am at, and add to this already great thread. Thanks everyone for "convincing" me this was necessary.
> 
> The wine cooler is the 28 bottle capacity NewAir Aw281. I really liked the look of this fridge, that was my main reason for picking it over the 280. I have not finished airing it out yet, I am letting it run now then will use baking soda and vinegar and wash it out, then let it air dry.
> 
> For my fan set-up I got 3 Ecomaster T.B Silence Fans (these are incredibly quite), each has a 3 pin molex connector. I then got a fan speed controller with four ports that uses the same 3 pin connector in and 4 pin molex out. Next, I got AC to DC power supply with 4 pin molex to connect to the fan speed controller. Finally I purchased an outlet timer. I did need to enlarge the reservoir hole a bit to be able to fit the 3 pin connectors from the fan through.
> 
> I am going to place all three fans on the bottom and back of the cooler. Two facing forward and one facing up.
> 
> I also Purchased 2.5 pounds of ConservaGel beads, and got the bags for the beads from Petsmart as suggested by Chris.
> 
> I also have two hygros that will go on the Drawers from Forrest, that will hopefully have in the next week or two. I ordered 4 double drawers and three shelves (one at the very bottom).
> 
> I will post up more pictures when the drawers get here and its all done.


Very sweet fan setup!! If I decide I need to run fans, I will definitely be going this route. Thanks for sharing.:dude:


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## ShortFuse

Looking good Chris! I might be able to convince the wife on getting a couple more NewAirs... another one for cigars and one for wine! We'll see. I wasn't sure if I'd like the look of the drawers on the shelves, but it works. Good job brother.


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## falconman515

ShortFuse said:


> Looking good Chris! I might be able to convince the wife on getting a couple more NewAirs... another one for cigars and one for wine! We'll see. I wasn't sure if I'd like the look of the drawers on the shelves, but it works. Good job brother.


Thanks bro!

Ya I wasn't sure either but for the price I figured I would give it a shot.

Plus I haven't bought a single box of cigars so I wanted to have nothing but space for singles and I was only gonna be able to afford maybe 3-4 drawers.

So I figured well let fill this thing up with SC trays for singles and get 7 complete trays.

Then I saw a picture with a guy that did this and put handles on them (which by the way isn't just for looks... they are easier to handle and take in out). and I thought that made it look even nicer.

So ya I'm pretty pleased so far.

And it turned out to be a bad idea cause In the last week I have Bid on and Won about 15 auctions for about 70+ cigars (mostly a grip load of 5ers to try and also have a bit more quality stock for better bombs and PIF's). That's what happens when you make yourself more space I guess.

What a slippery slope it it! :fear:


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## lord sevein

I really like the look of this unit and am seriously considering doing a similar build in the near future. Thanks Chris for keeping this tread up to date as I'll probably use it as a guide if I decide on this model.


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## falconman515

lord sevein said:


> I really like the look of this unit and am seriously considering doing a similar build in the near future. Thanks Chris for keeping this tread up to date as I'll probably use it as a guide if I decide on this model.


*This right here was the sole purpose for me doing this thread and putting some time, detail and pictures in it.*

If you need Any help whatsoever on your future build or have any further questions prior I would be more than happy to help out in any way I can.

Thanks for the kind words and I'm glad this thread has helped.


----------



## falconman515

No new updates as of yet on the cooler.

It's holding Rh perfect at all times at the top and bottom of cooler around 74-77% Rh.

I have decided to not run fans as the Rh is holding fine throughout the unit and the oust fan is helping move air around and I'm sure the built in fan that runs constantly is helping as well.

I think I may get 1 more oust to lay at the bottom next to the other soon to just help out a little more.

The electrical tape is working fine sealing off the drain hole and there is basically zero condensation built up at any time looks like. I will still be hitting up John and looking to hot glue it closed at some point in time (look back in this thread for details).

Other than that I have spent most of my money on sticks from CBID to try and fill up the trays a bit more.

Let me know if I can help out any further with your own build.

If any further changes are made I will be sure to take pics of those changes and post.


----------



## Bravo_Kilo

My NewAir is up and running now. It's holding a perfect 70°F and 65-67% RH. It's not pretty yet because I'm still waiting on my drawers from Forrest (Wineador), but so far, I'm extremely pleased with this setup.


----------



## ShortFuse

falconman515 said:


> *Other than that I have spent most of my money on sticks from CBID to try and fill up the trays a bit more.*
> 
> Let me know if I can help out any further with your own build.


Thats always the case! I think if I were to magically uproot my stash here and implant it at home, I *might* be full. Thats a big might though. Considering when I get home it will be do a full inventory and write it all down including dates I got the cigars. After that I plan on doing a Noob Friendly Pass. I got to jump on one pass while I was home and it was a lot of fun and want to make it available to others.


----------



## choinga

...does anyone know if the internal dimensions of the Edgestar and NewAir in terms of re-using shelves are the same? I just can't get over the fact that with shelves, fans and all the other accoutrement, it's likely we're spending as much on all of that as the cooler itself...which we're lucky if it lasts two years before having to buy another. Not knowing if the next version or other 28 bottles have a standard size - kinda scary to buy all this stuff and cross fingers...


----------



## Johnpaul

choinga said:


> ...does anyone know if the internal dimensions of the Edgestar and NewAir in terms of re-using shelves are the same? I just can't get over the fact that with shelves, fans and all the other accoutrement, it's likely we're spending as much on all of that as the cooler itself...which we're lucky if it lasts two years before having to buy another. Not knowing if the next version or other 28 bottles have a standard size - kinda scary to buy all this stuff and cross fingers...


You also have the option of repairing it if you have a problem. You can either pay someone else to do it or if your incliened you can try to fix it yourself. Take a look at this - http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/296667-12-vinotemp.html#post3342977. Either way you should find it cheaper than buying a new one.


----------



## falconman515

choinga said:


> ...does anyone know if the internal dimensions of the Edgestar and NewAir in terms of re-using shelves are the same? I just can't get over the fact that with shelves, fans and all the other accoutrement, it's likely we're spending as much on all of that as the cooler itself...which we're lucky if it lasts two years before having to buy another. Not knowing if the next version or other 28 bottles have a standard size - kinda scary to buy all this stuff and cross fingers...


If you go the route I went with the trays its significantly lower than spending money on Drawers / shelves etc.

Don;t get me wrong I went the cheap route due to funds and wish I could drop the coin on some drawers from forrest but is cash is your worry and at the moment and also the worry of a new model no being compatible down the road then you can either go the tray route like I did and it be future proof, or like John said... just fix it! They are not that hard to fix from what I see in Johns thread.

Good luck on whatever you decide in your future build.


----------



## StogieNinja

choinga said:


> ...it's likely we're spending as much on all of that as the cooler itself...


If it makes a difference, I've yet to use it plugged in, as every time I try, the humidity plummets. Still works like a charm as just a very large humidor.

I live in the PacNW, and don't need the cooling feature for the most part. I figure I paid mostly for an aesthetically pleasing coolidor. The drawers were the "meat" of the thing, the truly important part. The cooler itself is to look nice and hold a seal, really.


----------



## choinga

well, I live in Texas, which has a little different climate than Seattle. 

Actually, I have an end-table humi that works pretty well in a non-windowed office in my house that stays relatively cool even in the summer - usually around 73-74 and holds 66% RH solid as a rock. As it gets cooler, the humi temp comes down accordingly - from late Sept thru April or so I can keep it at 66-67 without issue. So, technically, I'm OK - just would be nice to not have to worry about it during the summer and maintain a constant temp/RH throughout the year. As you mention - in the winter I'd probably not even turn it on - just use my Oasis to push some air around in there as long as the temp stays OK.

I've just had horrible luck with wine coolers. I have a hundred or so bottles and finally bit the bullet and bought a Danby 80 bottle. It stays at 59 and I never even hear the thing come on - it's incredibly efficient - they advertise something like it costs about $80 a year to run it or something like that. So, I'm not averse to spending money -just not keen on investing a couple hundred in shelves, fans, time and resources to build this out only to have it die in a year or two and then the new model is a 1/2" wider or smaller on the inside, etc...

Yeah, I know they can be fixed and that's always a possibility...but sometimes it's not...


----------



## falconman515

Trays! At least that way you are good to go no matter what wine cooler you buy in the future!

With the max amount of trays its a holds a great amount of singles... granted Forrest drawers go deeper so per drawer space a lot more can fit but I like the way the trays turned out as far as looks goes and it holds the right amount for me as far as singles is concerned.


----------



## choinga

sure. but my problem there is that I'd have to get something custom made. I'm planning on trying this Avanti dual-zone I already have and the damn thing is only 10 3/4" wide instead of the 12" that you see all the standard cedar trays come in. *sigh*

I can buy planks, cut them and feed them in - but then I have nothing I can pull out of the cabinet.

I'm considering buying a lot of empty boxes of ebay and just storing everything in old boxes.


----------



## falconman515

choinga said:


> sure. but my problem there is that I'd have to get something custom made. I'm planning on trying this Avanti dual-zone I already have and the damn thing is only 10 3/4" wide instead of the 12" that you see all the standard cedar trays come in. *sigh*
> 
> I can buy planks, cut them and feed them in - but then I have nothing I can pull out of the cabinet.
> 
> I'm considering buying a lot of empty boxes of ebay and just storing everything in old boxes.


Trays will work fine for your dimension!

The trays a 12 1/2" x 7 1/2"

The wine cooler is for sure over 12" deep .... you just put the trays in side ways!!!

No one says the have to be put in long ways... just throw them in there sideways.

Most all wine coolers are very deep to accommodate a wine bottle and all wine bottles are deeper than 12"

Trays will work for you just fine.


----------



## yaqui

This is what I did. I am not using the other side at the moment. You can get boxes at cigar shops in Austin. Usually a buck a piece. hope this helps.


----------



## yaqui

This is what I did. I am not using the other side at the moment. You can get boxes at cigar shops in Austin. Usually a buck a piece. hope this helps.


----------



## cartey

Aninjaforallseasons said:


> If it makes a difference, I've yet to use it plugged in, as every time I try, the humidity plummets. Still works like a charm as just a very large humidor.


Sorry to thread-jack. If it really is inappropriate, I'll create another thread for this. But I just thought since it's also wineador related...

Has anyone else had a chance to use wine coolers unplugged Like Ninja here does? I mean, I live in Seattle as well, so Derek's result is going to be the most valuable. I'm just curious if others have had similar results, that is, using wine cooler simply as a big air-sealing cabinet.


----------



## Bravo_Kilo

cartey said:


> Sorry to thread-jack. If it really is inappropriate, I'll create another thread for this. But I just thought since it's also wineador related...
> 
> Has anyone else had a chance to use wine coolers unplugged Like Ninja here does? I mean, I live in Seattle as well, so Derek's result is going to be the most valuable. I'm just curious if others have had similar results, that is, using wine cooler simply as a big air-sealing cabinet.


I don't see any reason why it would work any less effectively as a humidor just because it wasn't running. Most of the people who use them just happen to need the benefit of temperature control, but having it plugged in isn't essential for humidity.


----------



## falconman515

cartey said:


> Sorry to thread-jack. If it really is inappropriate, I'll create another thread for this. But I just thought since it's also wineador related...
> 
> Has anyone else had a chance to use wine coolers unplugged Like Ninja here does? I mean, I live in Seattle as well, so Derek's result is going to be the most valuable. I'm just curious if others have had similar results, that is, using wine cooler simply as a big air-sealing cabinet.


A Wine cooler / fridge is basically an oversized humidor minus all the wood and spanish cedar.

Its just a nice looking humidor that is air tight to hold perfect relative humidity.

If its plugged in then it will hold at the temp you want it to hold at.... which is whats needed for guys like me in the central California valley where its basically death here.

If its cold like in your area then most of the time the cooler doesnt even need to be on to hold a good temp.

Many guys use a cooler only during summer months when needed and unplugged when not needed.

So sure a wine cooler is a perfect cigar humidor when outfitted with plenty of spanish cedar drawers and shelves and some kind of Rh beads / KL.

Hope this helps answer your question as well.


----------



## cartey

Answered my questions? More like you guys just robbed $100 from my wallet.
I'll be looking out for ANY cheap non-working wine cooler now. XD
Thanks, Ben and Chris.


----------



## falconman515

cartey said:


> Answered my questions? More like you guys just robbed $100 from my wallet.
> I'll be looking out for ANY cheap non-working wine cooler now. XD
> Thanks, Ben and Chris.


Glad we could help and spend your money at the same time!!! :biggrin1:


----------



## jjjoseph

So having had this for about a month now (right?), has it been working good for you? I'm in need of a good storage unit and unfortunately I can't go the cooler route due to high temps. I was browsing around for suggestions on wine coolers and found your thread. For that price, it sure is cheap and I was definitely considering it. I read the first 5 pages or so but I have to get to work now so I'll have to continue it tonight. Thanks for the info you provided so far and look forward to hearing back from you!


----------



## falconman515

jjjoseph said:


> So having had this for about a month now (right?), has it been working good for you? I'm in need of a good storage unit and unfortunately I can't go the cooler route due to high temps. I was browsing around for suggestions on wine coolers and found your thread. For that price, it sure is cheap and I was definitely considering it. I read the first 5 pages or so but I have to get to work now so I'll have to continue it tonight. Thanks for the info you provided so far and look forward to hearing back from you!


I havent had a single problem with it so far! (as I cross my fingers) It hold temps perfect at the leaving it at the highest setting (66), which it leaves the temp inside at about 68 degrees.... I almost wish the temp went higher than 66 so I can get the cooler more around 70.

The Rh hold perfect as well... all I had to do was throw a strip of electrical tape over the drain plug and thats it (I will using some hot glue like Johnpaul suggested at some point just beacuse I think). I have about 2-3lbs. of KL in there and it hold perfect ranging from about 63-66% Rh. It's almost as if this unit doesn't even condensate... many user makeshift things to route the condensation into a bowl of KL etc. but this thing for some reason doesn't drip anything at all (may just be my area and humidity here I dunno). I would think being in the California valley with 100 degrees days it would be bad.... my old small 8 bottle Emerson condensated like "Crazy" but this one runs perfect with almost zero condensation.

The looks I think are the best of any wine cooler and the price is the best hands down.

I hope it last a long time but from what I read on Johnpauls 12$ vino thread these aren't to hard to fix anyway.

Many guys seem to be looking at pulling the trigger on this unit and have done so here lately that's why I wanted to create this thread for those guys and the guys like you in the future looking at t his unit and also to get some further info on wine cooler builds in general.

I think you would be very pleases with your purchase and if you get the warranty like I explained in my earlier thread for $40 then you have nothing to worry about for 3 years anyway for just over 200 bucks. Its an unbeatable price.

Let me know if I can help any further as I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.


----------



## jjjoseph

I agree. The cooler itself + the 3 year warranty is an awesome deal and its plenty of space (well, for someone whose now just starting to buy boxes :nerd. Thanks again for the help. I have to go back and continue reading


----------



## jjjoseph

Looks like they're out of stock completely on this particular model. I think you should get a % from all those sales falconman :rotfl:I was looking at the smaller model (180E) and noticed that it was only ~3in smaller and ~4in thinner. I might actually jump on that since it isn't considerably smaller and is pretty cheap. I'll have to sleep on it for now I guess and decide later.


----------



## dood56

jjjoseph said:


> Looks like they're out of stock completely on this particular model. I think you should get a % from all those sales falconman :rotfl:I was looking at the smaller model (180E) and noticed that it was only ~3in smaller and ~4in thinner. I might actually jump on that since it isn't considerably smaller and is pretty cheap. I'll have to sleep on it for now I guess and decide later.


I sent the company a message since they have been out of stock for some time. They said they are awaiting their shipment from overseas. Hopefully, it won't be too long.


----------



## falconman515

For the price difference I would wait on the 28 bottle.

Trust me the bigger the better (that's what she said) lol 

If it was a lot cheaper I would say go for it but I'm sure they will get stock in fairly soon. It's a vey popular model so I'm sure they are on it trying to get it back in stock.

Either way though I'm sure youn would happy with your purchase.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

just ordered this model via phone from the air-n-water actual website. 
since the ebay store and site was out of stock and was on back-order they offered to give me the posted price on the site plus the 5% discount there offering at the moment and have it ship as soon as they come back in. 
the dates i was told they will be arriving at there docks is around the 27th of sept, and she said it would take about a week before its listed again on the sites. 
ill be ordering some trays and shelves from wineadors .com and will post some pics somewhere when it starts coming together.
thanks falconman515 and everyone for the info and pics in this thread and site.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

hey just wondering if any of you guys know the internal dimensions or shelf size so i can give them to the guy are wineadors? thanks


----------



## falconman515

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> hey just wondering if any of you guys know the internal dimensions or shelf size so i can give them to the guy are wineadors? thanks


No need ... Forrest has done many drawers / shelves for this specific NewAir wine cooler. He already has the internal specs to build you what you need.

Just tell him the make and model you have and what you want and he will make it happen!!!

Glad to see this thread helped out brother.... Good to see they are coming back in stock cause I know a few people here are interested in getting one I think.

Good luck bro and if I can help in any way please feel free to contact me at anytime.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

falconman515 said:


> No need ... Forrest has done many drawers / shelves for this specific NewAir wine cooler. He already has the internal specs to build you what you need.
> 
> Just tell him the make and model you have and what you want and he will make it happen!!!
> 
> Glad to see this thread helped out brother.... Good to see they are coming back in stock cause I know a few people here are interested in getting one I think.
> 
> Good luck bro and if I can help in any way please feel free to contact me at anytime.


thanks, yea i emailed him and he has my order cant wait!


----------



## CigarHog

Very nice Wineador. I just had an investation of beetles due to it being so hot in LA and cannot afford to keep my house at 70 degrees. I am thinking of building myself one.


----------



## CigarHog

I am new to this whole forum thing. When I buy a wine cooler, how can I get in contact with Forrest to get the shelves and drawers. They look so much better than almost everything I have seen other people using.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

CigarHog said:


> I am new to this whole forum thing. When I buy a wine cooler, how can I get in contact with Forrest to get the shelves and drawers. They look so much better than almost everything I have seen other people using.


wineadors . com his email is on there


----------



## CigarHog

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> wineadors . com his email is on there


 Awesome, thanks for the quick reply.
Good luck with your build


----------



## falconman515

CigarHog said:


> Very nice Wineador. I just had an investation of beetles due to it being so hot in LA and cannot afford to keep my house at 70 degrees. I am thinking of building myself one.


Let me know how I can help bro


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

falconman515 said:


> Let me know how I can help bro


whats up bro, just got my new air yesterday. had it airing out and wiping it down today. 
left it on for the past 4 hours and the temp hasnt gone down at all. its about 75 in my place where it is and hasn't dropped below 79 in the unit. 
does it just need to be on for a longer time to get the temp down or should i be worried?


----------



## ShortFuse

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> whats up bro, just got my new air yesterday. had it airing out and wiping it down today.
> left it on for the past 4 hours and the temp hasnt gone down at all. its about 75 in my place where it is and hasn't dropped below 79 in the unit.
> does it just need to be on for a longer time to get the temp down or should i be worried?


Do you have a separate thermometer that you can put inside the unit to verify the inside temp? I notice mine usually ran cooler than what the external display noted. Just a suggestion before you go too far on it and realize it may have been shipped to you in less than working order.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

ShortFuse said:


> Do you have a separate thermometer that you can put inside the unit to verify the inside temp? I notice mine usually ran cooler than what the external display noted. Just a suggestion before you go too far on it and realize it may have been shipped to you in less than working order.


yea thanks i do have 3 of my hygrometers from my desktops in there and they all read 3 degrees less than what external display reads. 
its at 81f now and my hygros read 78f.. REALLY frustrating. if my main reason for getting this wasnt the temp control id keep it but im gonna have to get a replacement. theres no excuse for the internal temp to be climbing while its on max cool..... sorry for rambling..


----------



## ShortFuse

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> yea thanks i do have 3 of my hygrometers from my desktops in there and they all read 3 degrees less than what external display reads.
> its at 81f now and my hygros read 78f.. REALLY frustrating. if my main reason for getting this wasnt the temp control id keep it but im gonna have to get a replacement. theres no excuse for the internal temp to be climbing while its on max cool..... sorry for rambling..


Naw Brother, you're not rambling. I just wanted to make sure that we're working on isolating the problem. Making sure its a broken cooling element rather than a busted thermometer display. I would consider sending it back...

Is it in direct sunlight or something??? I'm running out of thoughts besides its busted. Sorry.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

ShortFuse said:


> Naw Brother, you're not rambling. I just wanted to make sure that we're working on isolating the problem. Making sure its a broken cooling element rather than a busted thermometer display. I would consider sending it back...
> 
> Is it in direct sunlight or something??? I'm running out of thoughts besides its busted. Sorry.


thanks, yea no other reasons i must have just got a bad one. i sent customer service a wild email and ill call them tomorrow to see what they have to say for themselves!


----------



## Vitulla

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> thanks, yea no other reasons i must have just got a bad one. i sent customer service a wild email and ill call them tomorrow to see what they have to say for themselves!


My buddy Pietro had a similar problem with his edgestar. After a few days, temp went down, and now it's stable at 66 Fahrenheit. Let it sit and work over the weekend and try to keep it closed as much as possible


----------



## falconman515

Ya I wish I could help you on that one brother! 

Maybe try what Danny said.... it's the weekend anyway so you wont be able to send anything back till Monday anyway..... let it run and see if it stabilizes at some point.

It was 100 plus outside and 78 in my house when I got my NewAir and it got 66 in no time .... and yes for the most part when its set to 66 its about 3 odd degrees off.... nine runs around 68-69 when its set at the highest 66 level.

Shouldn't take more than a few hours to get to that level though.

Let us know..... sorry this is happening bro, I have zero patience for new stuff and when it comes in to me not working, damaged, or something wrong I hate it.

Hope it all works out.... if you got it from Air and Water they will for sure take care of you though.... they seem to have great customer service from what I have read.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

Vitulla said:


> My buddy Pietro had a similar problem with his edgestar. After a few days, temp went down, and now it's stable at 66 Fahrenheit. Let it sit and work over the weekend and try to keep it closed as much as possible


ok thanks ill give it a try. 
i have to wait for a response from customer service witch most likely wont happen till monday. just seems crazy that the temp would rise while turned on. ill post a status report monday


----------



## Packerjh

They may have assembled this unit wrong. If the peltier unit is backwards it will heat the unit instead of cool


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

Packerjh said:


> They may have assembled this unit wrong. If the peltier unit is backwards it will heat the unit instead of cool


i really was thinking this was the case. the air that i feel blowing out of the reas and side vents feels noticeably cooler than the air blowing in.

this morning i put a tupperware of ice packs on the bottom with a hygrometer that is accurate to try to pre cool the inside before i turned it on. after about 3 hours the hygro reads 63f. great! so i took the tupperware out and plugged it in. its now 4 hours later and the hygro reads 74f. 
im gonna leave it running anyway just to what happens but i have no hope.


----------



## stock93pgt

i think i am going to do this very soon, if things go right here.


----------



## Packerjh

Since it's new I would make then replace it andcover shipping but it's not a real hard fix to switch the peltier unit around. 

Basically you just remove the back, disconnect the power leads for the fans and temp sensor, remove the outside fan, remove the screws that hold the heat sink assembly to the vino, pull the unit out, remove the inside fan, remove the screws that hold the heat sinks together, pull the sinks apart and carefully pull the peltier unit off (it's held on bh thermal compound), flip the peltier around and reassemble...doesn't that sound easy 

That's what I had to do when I was fixing my vt12teds and put the peltier unit in backwards!! Easy as pie and my cooler works. 

BTW. I would have never tried this if it weren't for the $12 vinotemp thread posted earlier!

Now I'm looking for a larger broken thermoelectric unit to use!


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

Packerjh said:


> Since it's new I would make then replace it andcover shipping but it's not a real hard fix to switch the peltier unit around.
> 
> Basically you just remove the back, disconnect the power leads for the fans and temp sensor, remove the outside fan, remove the screws that hold the heat sink assembly to the vino, pull the unit out, remove the inside fan, remove the screws that hold the heat sinks together, pull the sinks apart and carefully pull the peltier unit off (it's held on bh thermal compound), flip the peltier around and reassemble...doesn't that sound easy
> 
> That's what I had to do when I was fixing my vt12teds and put the peltier unit in backwards!! Easy as pie and my cooler works.
> 
> BTW. I would have never tried this if it weren't for the $12 vinotemp thread posted earlier!
> 
> Now I'm looking for a larger broken thermoelectric unit to use!


thanks bro but thats beyond my level, ill just have them ship me a new one when i talk to them on monday. prob have another week or 2 before my trays and stuff from wineadors dot com get here anyway.


----------



## Johnpaul

It doesn't sound to me like the peltier unit is backwards. I would guess that their is something wrong with the control board. Since this is a new unit the only sensible approach in my opinion would be to get it exchanged. It stinks but unfortunately things like this happen. Good luck.


----------



## Packerjh

Johnpaul said:


> It doesn't sound to me like the peltier unit is backwards. I would guess that their is something wrong with the control board. Since this is a new unit the only sensible approach in my opinion would be to get it exchanged. It stinks but unfortunately things like this happen. Good luck.


I'd say this is the best advice...at least he's who I'd ask!


----------



## madirishman

Great job! I enjoyed reading the build!


----------



## falconman515

madirishman said:


> Great job! I enjoyed reading the build!


Thanks so much.

Not much new on the unit yet but I will soon be looking to a full drawer system from Forrest soon. Once I do I will post more pics if and when that happens.

I am very happy with the trays in my NewAir but I think I may be able to get a little more room from Forrests drawers since they go back further.

But the one thing nice is even though custom drawers go back more for more room I would only be getting maybe 4 drawers and at the moment I have all singles or 5ivers and 7 trays is actually more room than 4 drawers.

So once I start buying boxes down the road after trying tons of singles having ony 4 drawers and room for some boxes will be perfect.

Hope this thread has helped many..... let me know if I can help anyone further.


----------



## JayD

This is a huge help. I'll be using this same wine cooler. You have helped me tons. Unfortunately they are still out of stock so I have to wait a bit. I may order the drawers from forest first since there is a wait.


----------



## falconman515

JayD said:


> This is a huge help. I'll be using this same wine cooler. You have helped me tons. Unfortunately they are still out of stock so I have to wait a bit. I may order the drawers from forest first since there is a wait.


Looks like they will be back in stock by the end of the month.

They are due to arrive at port on the 26th and should be in Air & Waters inventory by the week after for purchase!


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

falconman515 said:


> Looks like they will be back in stock by the end of the month.
> 
> They are due to arrive at port on the 26th and should be in Air & Waters inventory by the week after for purchase!


thats great news! im still waiting on my replacement to get here after receiving the broken one guess a couple more weeks. prob be expecting the special delivery from forrest around the same time!!:biggrin:


----------



## falconman515

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> thats great news! im still waiting on my replacement to get here after receiving the broken one guess a couple more weeks. prob be expecting the special delivery from forrest around the same time!!:biggrin:


Got your cooler back yet Steve?


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

falconman515 said:


> Got your cooler back yet Steve?


not yet bro im still waiting. i got an email the other day saying around the 31st. 
i got my drawers from forrest this past saturday, beautifully done! cant wait to get everything together!


----------



## falconman515

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> not yet bro im still waiting. i got an email the other day saying around the 31st.
> i got my drawers from forrest this past saturday, beautifully done! cant wait to get everything together!


Ya Forrest does some AMAZING work.

Gotta suck having them bad boys with nothing to put them in though huh.

Well I know one thing..... I'm looking forward to some Pixs when you get it all put together brother!

Hopefully it shows up ASAP and you can give them sticks a new home.

Let me know if I can help or if you have any questions brother!


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

yea it does bro.. but i got them sitting in the living room in the spot that the fridge will be so at least i can see them ha!

as soon as i get everything together ill post some pics..


----------



## falconman515

c0ldfire1o25 said:


> yea it does bro.. but i got them sitting in the living room in the spot that the fridge will be so at least i can see them ha!
> 
> as soon as i get everything together ill post some pics..


I'll be looking forward to those pics bro!!! 8)


----------



## Oliva

Wow, good job, this sweet!


----------



## JayD

Question, how much KL did you use? Or does it not matter very much as long as you aren't putting in like 20lbs?


----------



## falconman515

JayD said:


> Question, how much KL did you use? Or does it not matter very much as long as you aren't putting in like 20lbs?


I put in ultimately 2 large media socks which is 2lbs of KL.

For the size of cooler around 2lbs. give or take is the recommended amount based on heartfelts figures for beads.


----------



## Staxed

read this thread when I first registered on Puff, just have to say it was a very nice read and...I just placed my order for a New Air...now to talk to Forrest


----------



## JayD

Perfect. I have my drawers and I am just waiting for the cooler itself haha. I will be going to PetSmart sometime soon!


----------



## falconman515

Staxed said:


> read this thread when I first registered on Puff, just have to say it was a very nice read and...I just placed my order for a New Air...now to talk to Forrest


This is the main reason I did this thread..... I know when I was looking into this a few threads kinda like it helped me so I just had to do one myself to help more future BOTL myself.

Glad to see you went with a NewAir and let me know if I can help in anyway brother.


----------



## Packerjh

Staxed said:


> read this thread when I first registered on Puff, just have to say it was a very nice read and...I just placed my order for a New Air...now to talk to Forrest


Lucky bastage! I've been wanting to buy one and fill it with Forrests shelves but unplanned expenses keep coming up...ugh!!


----------



## Staxed

Packerjh said:


> Lucky bastage! I've been wanting to buy one and fill it with Forrests shelves but unplanned expenses keep coming up...ugh!!


yeah, figured I'd get it while I could, chance like this doesn't come around very often


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

finally got my fed-ex tracking email yesterday saying my fridge was shipped with expected delivery for nov10th!! finally back in stock at air-n-water!:roll:


----------



## Staxed

received today  in the process of letting it sit for a while filled with newspaper and Baking Soda


----------



## JayD

Jealous! mine won't be here until Monday


----------



## falconman515

Daniel......glad to see this thread helped out so much in your decision.

Let me know if I can help any further.


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

got everything in a couple weeks ago been prepping since.. unpacked everything, wiped down the inside of the fridge with some water and dish soap, put 2 boxes of backing soda in for about 3 days, took baking soda out put in some spanish cedar pieces i had ordered for an old project for about 2 days, 
then put in a bowl with distilled water to start getting the H% up, once the Humidity got to 75% (about 3 days) took the water out and replaced it with charged heartfelt beads, then i put the drawers in for bout a week till the H% maintained about 68, then finally i put the cigars in.
i have about 1.75 pounds of beads in there divided between 2 sacks and some heartfelt tubes and spaced through the diff levels.
i didnt plug the hole but i did put some electrical tape over the water catch to make a bigger splash guard. (havent had any condensation build up in 24hours so far) i also have 1 oust fan with the front cut out for some circulation on the bottom level facing the front of unit.
its been 24 hours since the cigars and everything has been in there H% is diff between each level ranging from 65% at the top to 70% on the bottom.

..heres some pics

drawers..http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/197/p1010921x.jpg/



Unit with some cedar pieces and distilled water.. 

drawers in with beads..

bottom veiw 

done and done..


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

here is some pics of the contents

before
the 5 vegas and the top middle cuban crafters humi contents arent in the fridge but would fit in the drawers. the 5 vegas is under my bed and the cc will be on top of the fridge.

drawers from top to bottom (not really organized yet)..


----------



## c0ldfire1o25

so far everything seems great and im very happy. i also still have more room than i thought in the drawers witch is great! ill post an update in a week or so..


----------



## falconman515

Awesome write up and pictures brother!

Looks like you did mostly what I did to mine (except you got some drawers from Forrest that looks amazing BTW).

Love the looks and love the sticks you got in there so far!

Keep them pics coming and thanks so much for coming in and contributing to my thread to help out some future brother even further and give them some ideas on their upcoming NewAir (or any other brand) cooler purchases.

Let me know if you have any further questions or if I can help out anymore.... but from the looks of it you got it all down packed brother!


----------



## Lopezoscar03

great looking stuff guys.


----------



## drb124

Cool man, that's cheap for that winedor! I just got an exhaust fan from them. It's working well. I may consider this for my Christmas gift


----------



## falconman515

drb124 said:


> Cool man, that's cheap for that winedor! I just got an exhaust fan from them. It's working well. I may consider this for my Christmas gift


They seem to a very reputable company and have great prices on Wine coolers.


----------



## imported_Mike_E

Hey Chris - just wanted to say thanks for this great thread. It made the decision on purchasing the NewAir AW280E cooler easy for me. And with the information you provided, you've made it tremendously easy to get going on a wineador. 

Thanks again, brother!


----------



## falconman515

Mike_E said:


> Hey Chris - just wanted to say thanks for this great thread. It made the decision on purchasing the NewAir AW280E cooler easy for me. And with the information you provided, you've made it tremendously easy to get going on a wineador.
> 
> Thanks again, brother!


You got it brother !!! When I first started this there we're a few other wineador threads that helped me out so much and I wanted to create one to help out just the same. At the time there wasn't any NewAir threads and for the price point of these units I knew they would become popular so I wanted to take tons of pictures and show how my was built and the best and cheapest way to go about it for all us new members wanting to save a buck and not able to go all out on an expensive Vino with all the expensive extras.

I am very glad my time and effort in doing that thread has paid for by helping many worthy new brothers out there including you.

Thanks again for the props and I love nothing more than helping and trying to give back to a community that has given so dang much to me so far.

Take care brother and see you around the forums.


----------



## ShortFuse

6 months running on my NewAir and not a single problem. Well, I lied, I need more space! Once I clean things up inside I will post some updated pictures!

Again, nice going with the thread Chris.


----------



## PaulE

I totally missed this thread. Thanks falconman515 for the heads up. 

Time to start reading from page 1.


----------



## Flapjack23

Thanks for a great thread. I found this site by searching for NewAir, I had found that model on another site and was looking for more info on conversions....now a member here and have a template for my conversion.


----------



## falconman515

Thanks so much guys for all the kudos .... I know a few other members with their wineador threads helped me out so much I just had to document my build to give back.

Well I have another small update on something I did with my set-up

As you know I was building this set-up on a budget and though I wish I could have afforded some drawers from Forrest I went the route of trays as you can see from the pics on the first couple pages to save some money.

Well with these trays there was more room behind the trays that I wanted to utilize as much as possible and found this worked out perfect for me.

I got these from Orchard Hardware and Supply for $3.50 a tray. I bought 5 of them (there are 6 total wire shelves) since I have one of the wire shelve (3 from the top) that has one large bag of KL to give me some Rh towards the top and I also added another Oust fan right next to this bag for some circulation up top since the only fan I had before was at the bottom of the cooler. These trays are clear and fit perfect right in that back section of wire and doesn't slide around or fall out. I got these since I was running out room a bit and wanted some more storage for overflow. I will be drilling some holes in the trays for more circulation soon as well.

Here are the pics of what I did ... the first shows my wire wine shelf pulled out with my SC tray sitting up front like normal and the new clear plastic tray in the back that fits perfect in that little section. The next pic shows what it looks like with the SC tray removed and the last one shows the plastic tray pulled out of the unit to get a better look at it if maybe you decide to go the tray route like this cause of cost and want the extra space.

All in all with the Spanish cedar trays with handles I found on clearance for a buck and change at Lowes and the clear plastic trays my storage costs only cost me about $95 for everything!!! Ya for around $130 more I could have had Forrest Amazing full set of drawers but this was a good start and once I get the funds together to get some wineador drawers I will be looking to sell all of this to another brother looking to maybe to do this same set-up.

Take a look at what I did and like always if you have any questions about anything I am more than happy to help a brother out!


----------



## yellowv

Well after having my 12 bottle cooler up and running for about a week I have decided it's too small. Ordered a NewAir 28 and a set of drawers from Forrest. Will post pics as I go.


----------



## dhcigar

falconman515 said:


> Thanks so much guys for all the kudos .... I know a few other members with their wineador threads helped me out so much I just had to document my build to give back.
> 
> Well I have another small update on something I did with my set-up
> 
> As you know I was building this set-up on a budget and though I wish I could have afforded some drawers from Forrest I went the route of trays as you can see from the pics on the first couple pages to save some money.
> 
> Well with these trays there was more room behind the trays that I wanted to utilize as much as possible and found this worked out perfect for me.


Very cool Chris!! Thanks for showing all the details on the build. With the cedar trays and the new plastic trays what do you estimate your capacity at?


----------



## falconman515

dhcigar said:


> Very cool Chris!! Thanks for showing all the details on the build. With the cedar trays and the new plastic trays what do you estimate your capacity at?


Each tray (7 trays total) can do about 45-55 cigars all depending on size and RG, and each plastic tray can do almost exactly 18 a tray (5 trays in my cooler).

So with this set-up I can easily hold anywhere from 400 up to maybe 475 total.

Not sure how many I have in there but after looking at the average of each tray that's full and a full plastic tray this set up is easily good to go for 400+ sticks!


----------



## falconman515

yellowv said:


> Well after having my 12 bottle cooler up and running for about a week I have decided it's too small. Ordered a NewAir 28 and a set of drawers from Forrest. Will post pics as I go.


And how much do you love that NewAir Now? They look amazing and really keep our investment safe and perfectly regulated for perfect smoking.



nikonnut said:


> Falconman515 for chronicling his adventure with his NewAir (and cause I copied it! )


I'm so glad that this thread could help.

*Heres another NewAir build thread that may help as well if you are reading this:*

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...cussion/306474-just-finished-my-wineador.html


----------



## falconman515

*Well I am finally done tinkering with my cooler and it's fairly full and ready for the year of smoking.

Here is the final product of my work and my stash*


----------



## yellowv

Lookin good. Very nice stash.


----------



## smokin_dad

WOW, amazing stash!! Looks great!!!!!!


----------



## ctoph

That stash is just incredible! I'm truly jealous. :redface:


----------



## falconman515

It's taking a while and WAY to much money buying on the forums from some BOTL but I've got most of things I want now for this year to smoke!

Thanks for the compliments guys!


----------



## kapathy

way..... to........ organized....making me twitch...must put something crooked......aaaahhhhhhhhhhhh


----------



## falconman515

Updated picture with the new Liga Privada vinyl decal .... now this bad boy is complete!!!


----------



## Flapjack23

Looks great with that decal!


----------



## Lopezoscar03

falconman515 said:


> Updated picture with the new Liga Privada vinyl decal .... now this bad boy is complete!!!


that looks amazing bro.


----------



## IBEW

I finally pulled the trigger...
Just ordered a NewAir AW280-E from Air & Water.
Ended up paying $179, it was $204 with a $20 discount code and an extra $5 off for doing a Price-Grabber review.
Also, living outside of Calif, there was no sales tax and free shipping, not a bad deal.
I was going to buy it through eBay, but they have that price up to $195.

This thing hasn't even shipped yet and I already have a question...
If I do not add extra fans, how much of a rh difference (if any) do you think there will be between the top and bottom?
I'm assuming the humidity would be slightly higher toward the top?
I would like to get a lower rh, 60-65 range. I doubt there would be a 5% difference in the cooler, but 60 would be good for the CC's and 65 for the NC's. I'm planning on using strictly KL. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.

Also, RG bump for FalconMan for starting this awesome thread - I like it, my wife doesn't, but I do! 
Thanks Bro.

_edit: I tried to give you a bump, but they said I need to spread it around more first, I'll be back!
_


----------



## falconman515

IBEW said:


> I finally pulled the trigger...
> Just ordered a NewAir AW280-E from Air & Water.
> Ended up paying $179, it was $204 with a $20 discount code and an extra $5 off for doing a Price-Grabber review.
> Also, living outside of Calif, there was no sales tax and free shipping, not a bad deal.
> I was going to buy it through eBay, but they have that price up to $195.
> 
> This thing hasn't even shipped yet and I already have a question...
> If I do not add extra fans, how much of a rh difference (if any) do you think there will be between the top and bottom?
> I'm assuming the humidity would be slightly higher toward the top?
> I would like to get a lower rh, 60-65 range. I doubt there would be a 5% difference in the cooler, but 60 would be good for the CC's and 65 for the NC's. I'm planning on using strictly KL. Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.
> 
> Also, RG bump for FalconMan for starting this awesome thread - I like it, my wife doesn't, but I do!
> Thanks Bro.
> 
> _edit: I tried to give you a bump, but they said I need to spread it around more first, I'll be back!
> _


Very Nice! Glad to see my thread help push you over the edge a bit!

As far as fans, during the winter time when you don't have the cooler plugged in it really helps move the RH around a bit ad not create different levels throughout the cooler and just have stale pockets of humidity. During summer the unit runs and it has in internal that runs at all times so really I don;t see a need for em while the unit is running in my opinion ... but when it's not you gotta have the air moving a bit and a couple oust fans etc. really help that. Get with NikonNut in regards to this he has had some issues with the RH in his unit and experimented with the fans and what not so he may be able to help you out a bit more than me since by the time I placed my fans my RH was pretty stable.

KL is the way to go brother Tons of BOTL use it and I swear by since I had issues with beads at the start but once I switched to KL things started to go perfect. Plus why spend 5 times at much on basically the same thing really (there are many facts to back this up as well).

As far as suggestions most of what I know and learned is in this thread and many others, I am always available to answer any questions in here or via PM (I have helped a lot of guys here lately via PM).

Can't wait for it to arrive and start seeing your build unfold as well. Many guys think doing something like this costs and arm and a leg but I hope this thread helped make you and others realize thats a great cost effective humidor and it's perfect to control temp with a flawless seal and as you see ... they just look Bad Ass!!!

Air & Water ships very fast so be ready with all your cleaning supplies (baking soda, dish soap, vinegar, sponges, etc) to get the plastic smell out and get it moving!

Once again let me know how I can help brother! If there is anyway I can pay you back for you RG tool package I will brother!

Have fun Mark!!!


----------



## IBEW

That was quick, got the FedEx tracking number within 24 hours of ordering.
Unit should be here Wednesday, I'm getting excited!

Now I just need to decide between bloodwood or cocobolo and get my order in with Forrest.

Also need to decide what, if anything, to laser into the drawer fronts.
If I do, it will not be much, as going overboard tends to make it look cheesy.
Possibly some simple scroll work or a simple graphic. 
Might just go with my favorite _"Money to Burn"_ in a decorative font on just the top drawer.

Decisions, so many decisions!


----------



## Boom

Just ordered mine and It is due to arrive on Tuesday!!!!!


----------



## RealSRS

Amazing stash! Would love to have that tat and liga drawer in my collection. Still need to try some of those Halloween tat releases!


----------



## mxracercam

Your wineador looks great, Chris!

Can I ask if and how you attached your trays to the metal racks? I'm doing the exact same setup as you.

Thanks man!

-Dave


----------



## falconman515

mxracercam said:


> Your wineador looks great, Chris!
> 
> Can I ask if and how you attached your trays to the metal racks? I'm doing the exact same setup as you.
> 
> Thanks man!
> 
> -Dave


They are not attached to the wire shelves they are sitting on top of them freely.

I had thought about drilling a couple small holes in key locations and maybe use some small clear zip ties to secure it to the wire shelf but I liked being able to jut pull out tray and rummage though it that way instead of having it attached to the wire shelf and having to pull out the whole wire shelf if I need better access.

The trays sit perfectly on top of the wire and I think looks great and with the handles makes it SO easy to just open the cooler and grab the tray right out of their!


----------



## falconman515

Sorry for the double post ... editor was all messed up.


----------



## mxracercam

falconman515 said:


> They are not attached to the wire shelves they are sitting on top of them freely.
> 
> I had thought about drilling a couple small holes in key locations and maybe use some small clear zip ties to secure it to the wire shelf but I liked being able to jut pull out tray and rummage though it that way instead of having it attached to the wire shelf and having to pull out the whole wire shelf if I need better access.
> 
> The trays sit perfectly on top of the wire and I think looks great and with the handles makes it SO easy to just open the cooler and grab the tray right out of their!


ah... i zip tied mine in. i like things to be secure! haha!!


----------



## mikel1128

That should be standard issue in every man cave. Very nice work.


----------



## SDH619

Falconman or anyone else for that matter that might know. Did you have your fridge on and running while you seasoned the drawers. My drawers should be here in a week and I cant decide if I should have the unit running or not. 

By the way. When I first joined Puff this thread and the picture thread is what pushed me in this direction. I was all set to spend $2000 on a turn key unit before I joined the forum. Kick ass that now I can take the extra $1500 and put that to cigars.


----------



## mxracercam

Once mine was all aired out, yes, I seasoned it with the drawers in. There's not much to season without them in there!


----------



## SDH619

mxracercam said:


> Once mine was all aired out, yes, I seasoned it with the drawers in. There's not much to season without them in there!


Thanks for the reply. I was asking if the unit was seasoned running. Did you season your wineador with the unit on (running) or off (not plugged in).


----------



## mxracercam

SDH619 said:


> Thanks for the reply. I was asking if the unit was seasoned running. Did you season your wineador with the unit on (running) or off (not plugged in).


Ah... yes, with the unit on. I prefer to have everything running as it normally would be during the seasoning.


----------



## falconman515

SDH619 said:


> Falconman or anyone else for that matter that might know. Did you have your fridge on and running while you seasoned the drawers. My drawers should be here in a week and I cant decide if I should have the unit running or not.
> 
> By the way. When I first joined Puff this thread and the picture thread is what pushed me in this direction. I was all set to spend $2000 on a turn key unit before I joined the forum. Kick ass that now I can take the extra $1500 and put that to cigars.


Glad to hear my threads I created for my build and wineador pics helped you out so much brother and saved you tons of money for the more important things in the hobby like the actual cigars!

If you need any further help you can always find it here or contact me if you like.



mxracercam said:


> Ah... yes, with the unit on. I prefer to have everything running as it normally would be during the seasoning.


I do agree it's good to have the unit running .... But when seasoning you are trying to take as much moisture from the air and soak it into the Spanish cedar and if the unit is running you are net getting the full seasoning potential and drying out a lot of the humidity that the wood is craving. When you first get the drawers season them for a day or two with the unit off so the cedar gets the full moisture in the air and gets a really good chance to soak it up before turning the unit on.

But ... the part I do agree with here is after you have given it a day or two of solid humidity for the wood to take it all in ... Then run the unit while finishing the seasoning process. Cause after you turn on the unit it will start to dry out the wood a bit and also cut down the humidity which in turn may be to low to put your sticks in. then after a day or two of running the unit while you finish seasoning you are looking to stabilize the unit as much as possible and do this by getting your hygro's to staty steady around 70% or more ... then after it gets there take out all the distilled water or sponges etc. you are using to season then place your beads / KL to bring it down below 70% (still keep it a bit high though) and get a good humidity level.

Then once you have your KL in there and you are stable throw in all your sticks .... at this point with the new cigars in their you will then notice a further drop in Rh level ... if it drops below your desired level then at that point start spraying humidity media to get it back up to where you would like it.

Hope all this makes sense since I'm at work and don't have time to go back and proofread my horrible way of explaining things.

Just make sure your unit and set where you want it to be then you should be good to go!!!


----------



## mxracercam

falconman515 said:


> I do agree it's good to have the unit running .... But when seasoning you are trying to take as much moisture from the air and soak it into the Spanish cedar and if the unit is running you are net getting the full seasoning potential and drying out a lot of the humidity that the wood is craving. When you first get the drawers season them for a day or two with the unit off so the cedar gets the full moisture in the air and gets a really good chance to soak it up before turning the unit on.


Eh... I'm sure it doesn't make a huge difference either way, but I'd rather season slowly than quickly. Less chance for warp and spikes in humidity. You're going for the same target RH either way though.


----------



## falconman515

mxracercam said:


> Eh... I'm sure it doesn't make a huge difference either way, but I'd rather season slowly than quickly. Less chance for warp and spikes in humidity. You're going for the same target RH either way though.


Yep very true but those not looking to stare at their new wineador forever and wanting to speed up the process up a bit this is best route for some. Seasoning is important but I think gets taken to some extremes at times.

Also to speed it up a bit more is to do the same thing you do on a regular humidor ... wipe down the cedar! And wiping down cedar drawers and trays in a winedor is tons less stressful cause really the wood will never warp enough to make any difference. The only reason you have to worry about wood warping on a humidor is the risk of losing the correct seal to a slight fraction of warp. Well a winedor with internal SC doesn't have that worry since the seal in the wine cooler and not the wood.

Just a suggestions for those out there spending weeks seasoning ... speed it up if you want and lightly wipe down all your new drawers a couple times a the beginning to help move along the process. I believe seasoning one of these if done correctly should Never take more than a few days to a week at the most and these small things will help this progress a lot quicker as well.


----------



## SDH619

Thanks for the info. I ordered an Acumonitor to go in my wineador. Do you recommend putting distilled water in a bowl to season or using the Acumonitor to season.


----------



## mxracercam

falconman515 said:


> Also to speed it up a bit more is to do the same thing you do on a regular humidor ... wipe down the cedar!


agreed. a couple of good distilled water rubdowns helps things right along.


----------



## falconman515

SDH619 said:


> Thanks for the info. I ordered an Acumonitor to go in my wineador. Do you recommend putting distilled water in a bowl to season or using the Acumonitor to season.


Wish I could help brother but I am not familiar with these acumonitors.


----------



## SDH619

No problem. I will just use the sponge method. That is proven to work.


----------



## mxracercam

SDH619 said:


> No problem. I will just use the sponge method. That is proven to work.


I don't see why you wouldn't use an accumonitor... it will basically do the seasoning for you, won't it?


----------



## Wiseguy1982

I hate cigar envy...

AWESOME JOB BRO!


----------



## sum12nv

Just received my aw280 and was wondering what you guys were doing to remove the blue decal on the glass?


----------



## falconman515

I used Goof-Off myself and it literally just wiped right off!

any kind of gunk be gone spray / graffiti spray .... I think a local brother had recently told me he just grabbed the wife's nail polish remover and it came right off.

As soon as the liquid is applied to the blue decal it just lifts it right off the glass and wipes right off like it was nothing.

Very easy ..... let me know if you have any other questions or need any help brother! 


.... now if you for some reason got an older model with the NewAir stick on decal then I'm not to sure about that ... but if its just the blue NewAir etched look blue decal the above will work for ya.


----------



## sum12nv

Okay awesome! I'll give it a shot tonight. Thanks!


----------



## sum12nv

Reporting in... Well I tried the goo gone first try with no effect then the nail polish. The nail polish worked fantastic! Took it off in one swipe. 

Also I want to say thanks Chris for the fantastic write up and the motivation to build my own wineador. I will be posting up a little build thread once I get everything. I'm going to be installing some pc fans, fan speed controller all on a timer so guess we will see how it all comes together.

Thanks Again!


----------



## falconman515

sum12nv said:


> Reporting in... Well I tried the goo gone first try with no effect then the nail polish. The nail polish worked fantastic! Took it off in one swipe.
> 
> Also I want to say thanks Chris for the fantastic write up and the motivation to build my own wineador. I will be posting up a little build thread once I get everything. I'm going to be installing some pc fans, fan speed controller all on a timer so guess we will see how it all comes together.
> 
> Thanks Again!


I Just looked and it was Krud Kutter (it's the graffiti remover spray) that I used to spray on and get it off .... I have Goof Off and Goo Gone in their as well, I just didn't remember which I used. Glad the nail polish worked though, I was told it did.

Your welcome for the build thread ... just wanted to help out in return for all the help I've gotten here over the lat year as well by putting together this thread to hopefully help out many future brothers of the leaf and maybe show them that it doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg to build one of these ... I always like being part of the reason I push a brother over the edge. If I can help any further let me know and good luck with your new wineador brother!


----------



## IBEW

falconman515 said:


> I always like being part of the reason I push a brother over the edge. If I can help any further let me know and good luck with your new wineador brother!


Yes Sir, you're the one that pushed me over and I'm so glad you did!
Hoping to have my drawers/shelves soon from Forrest.
When I do, pics will be posted!


----------



## sum12nv

falconman515 said:


> I always like being part of the reason I push a brother over the edge


I would almost like to see how much NewAir's sales increased after you posted your build. They should be sending you a check!


----------



## Jbruno

Lovin' mine so far. I have about 50-60 sticks in it, with more on the way! My wife is going to buy me my drawers from Forrest as an anniversary gift so I will be set there. Other that having to go through the seasoning process with the new drawers when they come in I am in heaven!!


----------



## Jbruno

Oh, and I forgot it was Puff & this thread that pushed me over the edge as well and I am still enjoying the fall


----------



## SDH619

Falconman515 how many divorces have you cause because of this thread lol. I have gone through this thread 3 or 4 times. It was my base for my build and pushing me over the edge also.


----------



## falconman515

sum12nv said:


> I would almost like to see how much NewAir's sales increased after you posted your build. They should be sending you a check!


It's payment enough to know that I have helped so many BOTL in getting started in a new wineador! Its these kind of comments above that make it all worth it and is the best check I could receive!



Jbruno said:


> Oh, and I forgot it was Puff & this thread that pushed me over the edge as well and I am still enjoying the fall





SDH619 said:


> Falconman515 how many divorces have you cause because of this thread lol. I have gone through this thread 3 or 4 times. It was my base for my build and pushing me over the edge also.


Thanks guys for the kudos ray2:... I know I got a lot of help here when I first started and I saw afterwards how easy it was and really doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to build one (I thought it was crazy expensive and that deterred me at first).

I knew many guys we're really looking at this unit due to the price and all ... and since I did a lot of research ahead of time I figured I would create a thread that took most of the research and questions out of this process since I feel between my process and others who have contributed in here as well that this thread is a one stop shop for your wineador questions and needs. :tu

It makes me pleased to know that I have helped out the way that I have with just this one simple thread ... thanks again guys for all the great comments ... and my thanks goes out to you all for letting me spend your money and contribute to fights with the wife the way I have!!! :r


----------



## Dario

Hello Everyone!

Glad to have found another awesome guide for a wineador! I just would like to know if anybody has found any of these units in Canada. I can order one from the website but would need to contact them for the shipping amount and details. Has anyone had success with ordering from Canada? Thanks!


----------



## newbcub

Hey Dario
I am about to order mine from air & water inc. 
Free shipping anywhere in the states which is amazing. I found a place called diversified shipping services in blaine Wa.
they will accept the package.( U.S address ) and notify me when it arrives for 20.00$ (completely legal) 
I checked the duties and HST and it was about 50.00$ if I pick it up and declare it, but through a customs broker it's about 200.00 for them to ship it to me.
I think it's worth the drive to washington for the weekend + duty free cigars...I am sure there are places in your nearest states that do the same thing.. 
I'll let you know how it goes.



Dario said:


> Hello Everyone!
> 
> Glad to have found another awesome guide for a wineador! I just would like to know if anybody has found any of these units in Canada. I can order one from the website but would need to contact them for the shipping amount and details. Has anyone had success with ordering from Canada? Thanks!


----------



## Dario

newbcub said:


> Hey Dario
> I am about to order mine from air & water inc.
> Free shipping anywhere in the states which is amazing. I found a place called diversified shipping services in blaine Wa.
> they will accept the package.( U.S address ) and notify me when it arrives for 20.00$ (completely legal)
> I checked the duties and HST and it was about 50.00$ if I pick it up and declare it, but through a customs broker it's about 200.00 for them to ship it to me.
> I think it's worth the drive to washington for the weekend + duty free cigars...I am sure there are places in your nearest states that do the same thing..
> I'll let you know how it goes.


Thanks for the great suggestion! Plattsburgh is a short drive away so i will need to plan a trip. I'm sure the lady won't mind a shopping trip lol. She'll buy shoes and i'll buy cigars!


----------



## sum12nv

For any of you ordering from Air and Water you can try and use coupon code ANW200 for a discount. I cant remember what it added up to be but it was like $10 or $20 off. 

For you guys running kitty litter. How many lbs of it are you using? 

And for anyone that has Forrest's drawers could you give me a measurement from the bottom of the false bottom try to the wineadors floor. I dont have my drawers yet but want to get everything all ready for when they come in so I can just start seasoning it


----------



## falconman515

sum12nv said:


> For you guys running kitty litter. How many lbs of it are you using?


1-2 Lbs. works just fine. currently all I have is 1 large media sock in the bottom of mine and it does the trick (you may want more until your SC gets fully seasoned and can help with Rh)


----------



## sum12nv

falconman515 said:


> 1-2 Lbs. works just fine. currently all I have is 1 large media sock in the bottom of mine and it does the trick (you may want more until your SC gets fully seasoned and can help with Rh)


Thanks for the tip!


----------



## WIEisME

Looks amazing, glad I'm came across this tread before i started to make my own shelves... just ordered from Forrest!


----------



## RGMcNally

I just bought mine today ($190.00 including shipping) and was wondering where folks got their cedar shelves and/or drawers. My plan is to put all my boxes in there for long term storage and continue to use my Waxing Moon humidor (250 count) for day to day use. I emailed Chasidor to see if the have standard stuff for the New Air but they responed yet.

A lot of great info on the thread and can't wait to build mine. Pictures to follow most definitely. Thanks


----------



## Fuzzy

Welcome to Puff, Robert. Please head over to the New Puffer's forum and post up an intro if you have not.

This thread with well over two hundred posts and other wineador threads kind of leans towards the use of Wineador's shelves and drawers. Of the many I have researched, his are of great quality and works of art if you are into that sort of aesthetics.


----------



## StogieNinja

RGMcNally said:


> I just bought mine today ($190.00 including shipping) and was wondering where folks got their cedar shelves and/or drawers. My plan is to put all my boxes in there for long term storage and continue to use my Waxing Moon humidor (250 count) for day to day use. I emailed Chasidor to see if the have standard stuff for the New Air but they responed yet.
> 
> A lot of great info on the thread and can't wait to build mine. Pictures to follow most definitely. Thanks


Here's who you want to talk to about drawers:

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...es-forum/288447-wineador-drawers-shelves.html

Forrest (goes by Wineador here on the forums) does great quality work, and it's relatively inexpensive. Shoot him a PM or an e-mail! The wait time can be a few weeks depending on his schedule and how many jobs he has in the pipe, but it's worth it, and Forrest is a great BotL besides!


----------



## wrx04

I just got a Newair 280E over the weekend. I plan to get drawers from Forrest, but i have a question for you guys. If i decide to get all drawers (false bottom on the lowest one), will that impede airflow too much? I see most guys leave a shelf or two in their wineador....is there a function for this besides storing boxes? 

I think it looks much cleaner if there are no shelves. I will store all my cigars individually if i decide to buy boxes in the future (which im sure i will). Let me know if there is a reason i NEED to have a shelf in there. Thanks.


----------



## falconman515

wrx04 said:


> I just got a Newair 280E over the weekend. I plan to get drawers from Forrest, but i have a question for you guys. If i decide to get all drawers (false bottom on the lowest one), will that impede airflow too much? I see most guys leave a shelf or two in their wineador....is there a function for this besides storing boxes?
> 
> I think it looks much cleaner if there are no shelves. I will store all my cigars individually if i decide to buy boxes in the future (which im sure i will). Let me know if there is a reason I NEED to have a shelf in there. Thanks.


You don't "need" shelves at all if you have no need to store boxes etc.

I wondered about that as well ... my setup leaves room behind my trays so I don;t have that worry, but I always wondered if having a drawer flat up against the fan and cooling unit would cause issues or maybe lessen the life of the unit since it being covered and doesn't have room to run properly.

I myself have been told by Forrest and a few others that this will not cause problems by covering the cooling unit with solid flat wood from the back of drawers but I myself have my doubts.

If and whenever I do get a chance to buy drawers I will be buying all drawers from top to bottom (with a false as well) ... I don't really buy boxes and if I do I thinks it takes to much space in wine cooler and I would just take them out and store them as singles in a drawer.

If you have a concern about this I am sure that Forrest would make 2 or 3 of the drawers that are over the cooling unit shorter to leave circulation room for the fan and cooling vents.

But as far as RH circulation the use of fans is the only thing that will help that.

Hope this helps ... let me know if I can help out any further.


----------



## wrx04

Thanks, Chris. I already put my order in. I went with the 5 drawer setup with cocobolo fronts. I have the top shelf if i need it, but will most likely store most as singles. Great thread BTW.

I need to work on building a nice stash now:smoke:


----------



## choinga

The fans in these things are really no different than a CPU fan. Look in your computer case...you have plastic and such and hard drives that mount right up next to the fan. These things are no different.

What you should be concerned about is WHAT you put right where the fan is going to be blowing ALL the time. The interesting thing about these units is that you really have to play with the shelf placement to get the unit to the right RH/temp. When I left my shelf on top for boxes, the RH and temp was all jacked up. I went back to leaving the shelf in the middle...and even playing with how far back I push the boxes against the fan...has a pretty dramatic effect on my setup. When I did have a shelf sitting in front of the fan, I did notice that the stoges in the back closest to where the cold moist air was hitting them would get a little soggy...a couple almost wet to the touch. So, I quickly changed that around. I live in Texas and during the summer the room I keep the wineador in is set for 75. When I have the NewAir set at 64 it will hold 70 degrees and with my combo setup of beads it holds 65% RH in the middle and +/- 1-2% top to bottom. But, it took some dinking around to get it there. Also, changing the configuration around...leaving it for a few hours to see...is not going to get you accurate readings. If you make a drastic change...like moving drawers around or placing boxes in different spots...you'll need at least a couple days to see what happens. Every change in these things needs at least a few days to get accurate results.


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

wrx04 said:


> Thanks, Chris. I already put my order in. I went with the 5 drawer setup with cocobolo fronts. I have the top shelf if i need it, but will most likely store most as singles. Great thread BTW.
> 
> I need to work on building a nice stash now:smoke:


Something tells me that the building of your stash won't be much of a problem. Since I got my wineador a month ago, I've acquired around 200 more sticks. Funny how that happens.


----------



## RGMcNally

I've had mine for about 3 weeks now and have yet to receive my drawers and shelves from Forrest. I should get them in about two weeks and I can't wait. I have mine loaded up with all my AF cigar boxes that my cigars came in. The plastic smell was gone after a few days and it will only get better when the cedar is placed in there.

Anyway, the temp is running fine but the RH was different at all levels in the wineador. I noticed the RH was around 70-72% on the bottom and about 65% on the top. That is consistent with the physics of moist air. If the temperature is the same, moist air is heavier and will naturally be pulled by gravity to the bottom of the unit.

My solution for the disparity was to place more beads on the bottom to absorb the excess humidty and my Oasis XL humidifier on the top set at 65%. So when the humidity at the top goes below 65% the Oasis comes on with a little fan and kicks out some moist air. And because it is at the top the moist air naturally flows to the bottom and with a little help from the Oasis fan. Combined with the circulation from the fan from the wineador itself, I solved the RH disparity. I don't think you need to add any fans to help with circulation.

I'll just have to find the right combo when the 2 drawers and 3 shelves arrive.

Remember we are measuring this with a micrometer and cutting it with an axe. As long as there are no <65% or >75% RH sections in the wineador, I think we are doing just fine.


----------



## falconman515

60-70% range is optimal.


----------



## jheiliger

This whole thread is Pr0n for sure!! Kudos Chris...


----------



## jphank

My wine cooler arrived next day after I placed my order, the blessing of living near Air&Water 

I'm excited to get the smell extricated and get some boxes in! The hygrometers should arrive Saturday, and I'll pick up media bags for kitty litter and start moving SC boxes in sometime Monday-ish.


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

jphank said:


> My wine cooler arrived next day after I placed my order, the blessing of living near Air&Water
> 
> I'm excited to get the smell extricated and get some boxes in! The hygrometers should arrive Saturday, and I'll pick up media bags for kitty litter and start moving SC boxes in sometime Monday-ish.


Congratulations! You won't be sorry you bought this. I got the plastic smell out of mine pretty quickly by wiping down with vinegar and water and then putting some moistened, empty cigar boxes in the unit which replaced the plastic smell with that of spanish cedar. I'm just waiting on drawers from Forrest and then I'll be completely good to go. Enjoy!


----------



## Gurneymonkey

I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who contributed to these wineador threads! reading them inspired me to set one up.
I just received my NewAir AW-281E a few hours ago :banana:.
I got it from air-n-water. I got 7% off using the 7AFF discount code($17.50 off). They also gave me free shipping (4 days from Cali. to Az. via FedEx).
The first thing I noticed was the plastic smell inside. I recall reading in another post regarding the plastic smell issue that someone advised to heat the inside of the fridge w/ a hair dryer, because the heat would help release/eliminate the smell. However thanks to the Arizona sun having half melted the plastic while it was on the FedEx truck my work was done for me. And with just a good cleaning with warm water the smell went away within minutes & has not come back.
I've got 1lbs. of 65% heartfelt beads in it now, & plan to get at least another pound or so in the future.
I've taken out a couple of the metal racks, & placed a seasoned generic Spanish cedar tray that I found on Amazon for $8.95 in the middle of the fridge.
I have an Oust fan(also from Amazon:tu ) running in the bottom of the fridge.
It's been plugged in for 30 minutes & is already down to the 65* set temp.
After seeing some of the beautiful examples of his work here, & on the Wineador site I ordered a shelf & a drawer a few days ago. When I can afford it I plan to get a full set of drawers from him.
When I can I will post some pictures of my set up.
Can anyone advise anything else I should do to it?


----------



## falconman515

You got it brother! 

Glad this thread could help out with your new build ...we're always here to help.


----------



## wrx04

Finally got my drawers.

View attachment 70574


----------



## DeadMoney

wrx04 said:


> Finally got my drawers.
> 
> View attachment 70574


Looks good!! I went with the cocobolo fronts too. How long did it take you to get yours?


----------



## wrx04

DeadMoney said:


> Looks good!! I went with the cocobolo fronts too. How long did it take you to get yours?


Just over 8 weeks.......


----------



## oiooioio

Been reading this thread over the past few days and then bit the bullet and checked CL to see if I could snag a cheap wine cooler to turn into a wineador. Unfortunately, it was a compressor model but I was up for the challenge. I couldn't get the humidity and temp to play well and stay steady. So I'm going to scratch it and will bite the bullet of the NewAir 18 bottle to start (as I barely have 1 desktop humidor full) and I don't want to feel compelled to fill it up and go broker then I already am! 

Thanks for all the info fellas - you all have some pretty enviable stashes and setups!


----------



## KeithK

wrx04 said:


> Just over 8 weeks.......


8 weeks!!! Sonofa lol. I have been waiting about 6 for mine. I can't wait. I'm pretty much out of room with the little stash that I have. I'm so ready for my drawers. 2 more weeks man. It already feels like a eternity,lol. Looks hot though man good job!!


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

It took exactly 8 weeks to get mine also and I had the exact same problem as you Keith. My stash had magically grown to the point that I absolutely needed the drawers. Now with the drawers, my wineador is filling up very quickly. I just can't figure out how that happens...


----------



## Gurneymonkey

8 weeks?! It's only 3 weeks since I ordered. Oh man, time sucks!:laugh:


----------



## kevink

I emailed Forrest the other day, and he said he recently injured his back and lost his shop help, so production was a little behind. However he's back now and quoted me 4-5 weeks for a few standard drawers. Can't wait!


----------



## drb124

I have read through this thread and many of the other wineador threads on here and have seen some people using theirs on hardwood or linoleum and others on carpet. I just wanted to check and make sure there would be no adverse effects of running mine on carpet? Also I assume it is ok to stack 2 of them? Thanks for the help


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

drb124 said:


> I have read through this thread and many of the other wineador threads on here and have seen some people using theirs on hardwood or linoleum and others on carpet. I just wanted to check and make sure there would be no adverse effects of running mine on carpet? Also I assume it is ok to stack 2 of them? Thanks for the help


I wouldn't stack them because I think I read somewhere on Puff that even putting light things on top can alter the running of the unit. I also elevate mine off the carpet a bit so that the door opens without resistance. You can probably adjust the legs, but I didn't bother to mess with that. Have fun filling it!


----------



## drb124

Hoosier Daddy said:


> I wouldn't stack them because I think I read somewhere on Puff that even putting light things on top can alter the running of the unit. I also elevate mine off the carpet a bit so that the door opens without resistance. You can probably adjust the legs, but I didn't bother to mess with that. Have fun filling it!


Ok. Thanks


----------



## drb124

Also, what do you use to elevate them?


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

I just have a small wood platform that I set the unit on which is about 2-3 inches off the carpet. It works very nicely for my purposes.


----------



## drb124

Hoosier Daddy said:


> I just have a small wood platform that I set the unit on which is about 2-3 inches off the carpet. It works very nicely for my purposes.


Cool, I may try to find something similar, although I have had good luck adjusting the feet. One more question for anyone who has the expertise. Is it possible for the Ranco ETC or another temp controller to work on two wineadors with seperate temperature probes or would I need to buy 2 etc units? Thanks


----------



## kevink

Hoosier Daddy said:


> I just have a small wood platform that I set the unit on which is about 2-3 inches off the carpet. It works very nicely for my purposes.


I'm using a large piece of spare flooring tile, luckily fit perfectly. My carpet has very soft padding underneath, so without the tile the unit sinks in a little bit...


----------



## drb124

Sorry to just keep asking questions, but with the New Air, the newer models have the metal logo rather than the blue decal. Any advise on how to remove the log and residue?


----------



## kevink

Heat gun or hair dryer and denatured alcohol or goof off.


----------



## fdfirebiz

Hi, all great site im new here need some help . been reading the forums on here all you guys are great help with issues. well anyway i just finished a new build for my winador NewAir 280 i cleaned the unit, seasoned it. im using a hydra sm and one 80 mm fan on the bottom shelf im using 3 digital hydrometers all calibrated . so my humidity was reading 70% on the top mid and bottom shelf im using 4 spanish cedar trays for now . ordered the 4 drawer and 2 shelf units from forrest and am patiently waiting. so anyway everything was fine i put in one media bag of KL in front of the fan, dry to catch any moisture. so far no moisture issues but my humidity levels are all 74% and my hydra sm is set to 68% unit is not even coming on. so i took out the KL and have the same humidity readings of 74% so i put in my cigars from my 2 other humidors and filled the 4 trays with cigars figuring that would drop the humidity levels and as of now its at 72% what gives help LOL


----------



## Gurneymonkey

What is the temperature of your wineador set at? If your wineador is running a lot to bring down the temp it will produce condensation inside the unit & your humidity levels will start to climb. Check if you have water running down the inside of the unit in the back, or pooling on the bottom.


----------



## fdfirebiz

Temp is set to the highest 66 degrees no condensation at all humidity is now at 74 pct I even unplugged unit still high humidity


----------



## RGMcNally

What is the humidity % of the air in your house? I had high humidity at first because it was NJ in the summer. I placed 5 bags of KL in fish tank filters and placed them on each shelf and the next day it stabilized at 65%. Since then it has been working beautifully and I have it full of cigars in boxes and in the drawers. I also have a Cigar Oasis XL in there set at 65% and everything is stabilized at 65%.


----------



## fdfirebiz

Don't know the humidity in home live in Fredericksburg va cool out today I have to media bags of dry kitty litter in there and it's now72% humidity my hydra sm electronic humidifier is set at 68% and it has not come on all 3 hydrometers are at 72% humidity. Could the wet sponge that's saturated with dw in the hydra sm be putting out humidity even though its not on? Have 4 trays of cigars in there .the temp in the winador is set the highest setting 66 degrees. The temp on all 3 hydrometers also reads 66 degrees I don't get it humidity has been moving around for 3 days now


----------



## fdfirebiz

*newair 280e new build issues with humidity*

well my humidity finally went down its been holding 69% humidity for 2 days now. question.. do i need to remove any media pouches with kl to keep this at 69% i have 1 large media bag and 2 small ones in. 2 small media bags on the middles helf where the newair 280e fan is. 1 large media bag and 1 hydra unit with kl inside which i removed the foam crap in there filled with kl, set humidity on hydra at 68% so fan comes on when humidity drops. is this to much KL now or should i keep this like it is?


----------



## RGMcNally

The RH% for the KL is 65% so all you are doing is transferring the moisture from the Hydra or cigars to the KL. I would lower the RH% of the Hydra to 65% so it only comes on when the RH% goes below 65%. I have a bag of KL on each shelf and drawer in fish tank filter bags and my entire wineador is 65%, no matter where I put my hygrometer. I like my cigars at 65% so I am very happy. 

I also think if you have it full of cigars and they have an RH% of 65% - 70%, the cigars are releasing moisture into the wineador and may dry out a little. 

In the winter in NJ, when the humidity levels fall, I expect to have to add water to the KL and add water to my Ultra XL a lot more. 

I think your right where you need to be.


----------



## fdfirebiz

ok great so i set my hydro to 65% you see im new never used KL my newair 280e build is new about 3 weeks now have about 150 sticks in there i cut off the cellophane at the foot to get some humidity in the cigars are doing great transfered them from my 2 other humidors about 1 1/2 weeks ago. so i need help with the KL so if the humidity drops more do i remove one media bag of KL im using exquisit cat or do i spritz the outside of the media bags . i have 1 large media bag and 2 small ones in. 2 small media bags on the middles shelf where the newair 280e fan is. 1 large media bag and 1 hydra unit with kl inside which i removed the foam crap in there filled with kl, or am i ok .what i dont understand is when or if humidity drops do i remove a small media bag or spritz?.


----------



## RGMcNally

If the RH drops below 65%, you need water. I would put the sponge back in the Hydra, fill it with distilled H2O and set it to 65% and see what happens. If it ever drops below 65% for a long period of time (a day or two), refill the Hydra, spritz all the KL and let is settle down for a day or two and see what happens. 

I have KL on all my shelves and drawers, that way no area is above or below 65%. My Oasis XL is on the top shelf because the humid air will sink to the bottom if the temperature is the same. Once the cold air comes out of the wineador it will sink to the bottom and force the moist warm on the bottom to the top. This circulation keeps the moist air circulating and the KL on all the shelves keeps the RH at 65%. 

I have my hygrometer on the middle shelf and always reads 66 degrees and between 65%-67%. I added water to my Oasis once this summer but I intend to add more in the upcoming months as the winter air is a lot dryer. 

I hope this helps.


----------



## aphex242

Just wanted to thank you for an excellent thread, I'm a new member and my AW-280E comes tomorrow. So stoked. Thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone, especially Falconman515!


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

aphex242 said:


> Just wanted to thank you for an excellent thread, I'm a new member and my AW-280E comes tomorrow. So stoked. Thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone, especially Falconman515!


Welcome to the club. You won't regret it and will have a blast stocking that thing up.


----------



## drb124

Well I got my drawers from forrest and got it filled up. I have mounted my hygros on the front of the drawers, but I get low readings, say 58-61% rh and 71* F, but when I put them in the drawers I get readings 64-67% rh, and 66-68* F. Anyone have a similar experience?


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

Did you season the drawers first? Humidity readings should be consistent as long as the drawers are humidified. Some people also talk of plugging the drain at the top of the unit in back. I never noticed a humidity leak, but plugged it anyways with a rubber cap after a few weeks just to be sure.


----------



## aphex242

You know, I was a little paranoid about airflow with Forrest's shelves, especially because I plan on stacking the sticks pretty deep in them. I decided $10 a shelf for the ventilation on the sides and the back was worth it. Sounds like that may explain your humidity differences.


----------



## drb124

Hoosier Daddy said:


> Did you season the drawers first? Humidity readings should be consistent as long as the drawers are humidified. Some people also talk of plugging the drain at the top of the unit in back. I never noticed a humidity leak, but plugged it anyways with a rubber cap after a few weeks just to be sure.


I did season them for a couple days (not long enough, but wanted to get rid of my huge cooler), but it has only been another couple days with cigars in it. I plugged the drain too.. I 'm sure it will all equalize in a couple weeks


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

drb124 said:


> I did season them for a couple days (not long enough, but wanted to get rid of my huge cooler), but it has only been another couple days with cigars in it. I plugged the drain too.. I 'm sure it will all equalize in a couple weeks


I agree and your collection of smokes is impressive.


----------



## drb124

Hoosier Daddy said:


> I agree and your collection of smokes is impressive.


Thanks, I tend to go a bit overboard on things, but at least I am set for a good while. And 3 of my good friends smoke as well, so they help me get through through some of my stock (Not the Liga No. 9's though).


----------



## falconman515

aphex242 said:


> Just wanted to thank you for an excellent thread, I'm a new member and my AW-280E comes tomorrow. So stoked. Thanks for all the helpful advice, everyone, especially Falconman515!


So glad this thread has helped out so much ... as always if anyone has any questions I am happy to help.


----------



## hawesg

Finally just got through the entire thread, got my aw2801-e on Monday, ran it for a few days and now it's stuffed full of newspaper. Ill probably leave it in for a week then wipe it down with vinegar then dw. I don't really get a plastic smell but its probably best to be safe. I'm going to go with a few trays that I have in a cooler and boxes for the moment then order drawers/shelves from forest in a bit. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks for the thread Chris.


----------



## drb124

Finally got my humidity problem fixed. My first inclination had been to push the drawers all the way in, but now I have the pulled out as far as I can so that the door will still shut. That gives is probably 2 inches or so in the back and this has help tremendously with airflow and has gotten the humidity constant from top to bottom.


----------



## hawesg

Finally got my new cooler all prepared








now I've just got to get some drawers.


----------



## aphex242

Good to hear, Rivers. Garrett- looks great!


----------



## falconman515

hawesg said:


> Finally just got through the entire thread, got my aw2801-e on Monday, ran it for a few days and now it's stuffed full of newspaper. Ill probably leave it in for a week then wipe it down with vinegar then dw. I don't really get a plastic smell but its probably best to be safe. I'm going to go with a few trays that I have in a cooler and boxes for the moment then order drawers/shelves from forest in a bit. I'm really looking forward to it. Thanks for the thread Chris.


You got it brother! Glad to see it helped out a bit ... you new cooler looks great .... by great I mean I WANT AL YOUR LIGA PRIVADA!!! Amazing LP stash there.

Glad to see my build has helped out some brother and hopefully helped you decide to get one ... they are worth the investment and the price as you can see from thread really isn't to much for something that will hopefully last for years and years to come!


----------



## aphex242

Welp I have my shelves from Forrest parked in a cooler with some beads and a bowl of distilled water with a sponge in it. It's been 2 days, but I know those shelves are going to have to season a long while. I already filled my wineador with my smokes over a month ago (putting them in spanish cedar boxes that were seasoned), and it's been working great with Heartfelt beads. Tried KL at first but didn't have the patience for it, was too all over the place. In the end I decided beads would be easier, if annoyingly expensive in comparison. 

Can't wait to get the shelves in, but I think I have to wait a week or more on the drawers getting seasoned. They look great though, I went with the vented option so I think that'll help with the uptake of humidity too (more surface area exposed).


----------



## McP

Really glad to have found this thread while searching for wineador info. I just picked up my first, Emerson 12 bottle count. I'd like to do a 28 bottle count, but since it's my first I wanted to start out the inexpensive route and I also only have about 75 cigars to put in it..... for now. Eventually, I'll bump up to a similar custom build! Next up for me, some shelves!


----------



## BlazinBajan

Just bit the bullet and ordered my set up from Forrest, You guys rock ... a wealth of info here at PUFF!!!!:rockon: now i jus gotta be patient can't wait for my drawers to arrive... like someone said ..I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas. Keep up the good work guys helping us noobs out with every post.:help: awesome thread Falconman.


----------



## aphex242

Just a quick follow up - my Newair AW-280E is running great and has been for a couple months. I'm using heartfelt beads, probably close to 2 pounds in there, and 4 drawers from Forrest (and 2 shelves). I've got a PC fan in there I have hardwired to a USB plug running out the drain hole that stays plugged into my computer (which is right next to it). The fan helps circulate the air. I've got a Control Company 4380 base unit with a remote sensor in there, showing 65.7F and 68% humidity right now. Humidity moves around maybe 66%-68%. Pretty perfect. Beads are supposedly 65%.

LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. Now if it only had more room...


----------



## Sam_Whang

Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all the members of this forum -- I am now the proud new owner of a NewAir wineador complete with 5 birds eye maple shelves from Forrest (who did a fantastic job) along with 4lbs of Heartfelt 65% beads (yeah I went overboard) -- 

From the type of wine coolers / humidification beads / trays / removing the plastic smell 

Pictures will be coming soon along with my "cigar room" which is pretty awesome IMHO

Once again thanks!


----------



## Blueracer

hawesg said:


> Finally got my new cooler all prepared
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> now I've just got to get some drawers.


That's sharp!!


----------



## Smokin'Joe

Thanks for this thread guys! 

I just pulled the trigger on one and should have it by the end of next week.

Can't wait!


----------



## drb124

Smokin'Joe said:


> Thanks for this thread guys!
> 
> I just pulled the trigger on one and should have it by the end of next week.
> 
> Can't wait!


Good Luck, I would advise some drawers from Forrest. Also I would second the recommendations for newspaper to get the plastic smell out. Other than that, you should be good to go.


----------



## Smokin'Joe

Thanks!

Yep, puff comes through again! 
Tons of great info in this thread.


----------



## elricfate

This thread has me scouring craigslist for a used wineador frankenstein project. I don't even have more than a hundred fifty, maybe two hundred smokes (as of a few days from now when my bundles come in)... you people are monsters of the best kind to tempt me like this.


----------



## Smokin'Joe

falconman515 said:


> *Well I am finally done tinkering with my cooler and it's fairly full and ready for the year of smoking.
> 
> Here is the final product of my work and my stash*


This is the post that pushed me over the edge!

Just placed my order for 5 trays and will be heading to Home Depot to check out some drawer pulls.

Thanks for putting this together and documenting your progress!

It was very helpful.


----------



## nola.bell

Did the price of the new air unit go up? I see that when the thread first started, the unit cost arond $170 with free shipping, and now all I can find is around $225 wih free shipping. Anyone know the cheapest place to purchase a 28?


----------



## Smokin'Joe

Can't speak to the NewAri unit but I picked up my Edgestar 28 unit from openboxdirect.com (scratch and dent section) for $85 shipped on sale about a week or so ago.


----------



## elricfate

Smokin'Joe said:


> Can't speak to the NewAri unit but I picked up my Edgestar 28 unit from openboxdirect.com (scratch and dent section) for $85 shipped on sale about a week or so ago.


Lucky. I've been looking for a cheapy one on there for a while now and keep coming up blank. Same deal with Craigslist, either they want new prices for the larger ones, or it's only the smaller ones for sale for cheap (6-12, I saw an 18 but it sold too fast). Still got my eyes peeled.


----------



## falconman515

Smokin'Joe said:


> This is the post that pushed me over the edge!
> 
> Just placed my order for 5 trays and will be heading to Home Depot to check out some drawer pulls.
> 
> Thanks for putting this together and documenting your progress!
> 
> It was very helpful.


Glad I was able to spend some of you money brother! LOL 

Make sure you post up some pics in the Wineador Pic thread when you get it completed.


----------



## Smokin'Joe

LOL, I think I may have already posted a pic over there, if not I'll be adding one shortly.

Thanks again brutha!


----------



## OratorORourke

Thank you for this thread. I spent half my day yesterday reading thru all of it. I had already been on the fence about doing a Wineador vs a much larger humidor cabinet vs saving for one of those overpriced units in the $1000-$2000 range, but after this thread I took advantage of a great deal on a NewAir AW-281E on Overstock (_I had a promo coupon they sent me a while back for being a new customer_).

I already reached out to Forrest and my process is just beginning.


----------



## Gdaddy

OratorORourke said:


> Thank you for this thread. I spent half my day yesterday reading thru all of it. I had already been on the fence about doing a Wineador vs a much larger humidor cabinet vs saving for one of those overpriced units in the $1000-$2000 range, but after this thread I took advantage of a great deal on a NewAir AW-281E on Overstock (_I had a promo coupon they sent me a while back for being a new customer_).
> 
> I already reached out to Forrest and my process is just beginning.


Your going to love it!!!! Just like a new baby.


----------



## OratorORourke

Gdaddy said:


> Your going to love it!!!! Just like a new baby.


Don, I can't wait. I even shelled out the extra cash to put the rush on Forrest! I figure the time between getting the unit and getting the shelves/drawers will be put to use in getting the plastic smell out, plugging the drain hole and dreaming about how my cigars are going to look in there!


----------



## Gdaddy

Start thinking about cigars also...don't forget about them!

Once you go winedor you'll never go back.


----------



## Isonj

I spent a week reading through the thread. I broke the bank and placed my order on the newair and the shelves. Just wanted to say thanks for all the info and for twisting my arm! Haha


----------



## falconman515

OratorORourke said:


> Thank you for this thread. I spent half my day yesterday reading thru all of it. I had already been on the fence about doing a Wineador vs a much larger humidor cabinet vs saving for one of those overpriced units in the $1000-$2000 range, but after this thread I took advantage of a great deal on a NewAir AW-281E on Overstock (_I had a promo coupon they sent me a while back for being a new customer_).
> 
> I already reached out to Forrest and my process is just beginning.





Isonj said:


> I spent a week reading through the thread. I broke the bank and placed my order on the newair and the shelves. Just wanted to say thanks for all the info and for twisting my arm! Haha


Glad is helped you guys make the plunge .... wanted to make sure I gave back by creating this thread since most all the info I basically learned from fellow BOTL here and elsewhere.

Enjoy your new babies ... be sure to post some pics in my http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...ion/296444-take-pic-your-wineador-thread.html


----------



## OratorORourke

Gdaddy said:


> Start thinking about cigars also...don't forget about them!
> 
> Once you go winedor you'll never go back.


I am already on it Don! I am at full capacity now (close to 300), but I know that will still look like a drop in the ocean once they are in the wineador. You think my bank will give me a personal loan for cigar purchases?



falconman515 said:


> Glad is helped you guys make the plunge .... wanted to make sure I gave back by creating this thread since most all the info I basically learned from fellow BOTL here and elsewhere.
> 
> Enjoy your new babies ... be sure to post some pics in my take-pic-your-wineador-thread


Thanks again Chris and will do!


----------



## Hubby

THANK YOU falconman515 for starting this thread and for everyone else who has contributed... Thanks to this the Wifey and I have decided on the NewAir 281 with shelves from Wineador... I hope to order the shelves on Thursday and then wait about a month plus a week or so before ordering the wine cooler... That way i can clean it and dont have to stare at the empty Wineador for to long while waiting for the custom shelves!!!! Once again THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!


----------



## Chrishorsley13

Been reading on the site for months just now posting, thanks to this thread and photos I've talked the wife into letting me build a Wineador, thanks!


----------



## falconman515

Hubby said:


> THANK YOU falconman515 for starting this thread and for everyone else who has contributed... Thanks to this the Wifey and I have decided on the NewAir 281 with shelves from Wineador... I hope to order the shelves on Thursday and then wait about a month plus a week or so before ordering the wine cooler... That way i can clean it and dont have to stare at the empty Wineador for to long while waiting for the custom shelves!!!! Once again THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!





Chrishorsley13 said:


> Been reading on the site for months just now posting, thanks to this thread and photos I've talked the wife into letting me build a Wineador, thanks!


I love being the thread that helps spend a bunch of BOTL's money!!! 

You will love it and I'm glad the thread helped.


----------



## elricfate

Chrishorsley13 said:


> Been reading on the site for months just now posting, thanks to this thread and photos I've talked the wife into letting me build a Wineador, thanks!


haha, you TOLD her? Man, I just snuck mine in to my work room... she noticed and she griped, but she got over it pretty quickly. Better to ask forgiveness yada yada yada.


----------



## joegalvanized

Well, another member checking in here to say thanks. My Newair 281e arrived yesterday, and I'm beginning the cleaning process. Drawers/shelf on order with Forrest. Paid for the quick ship option, and hoping to see them in the next couple of weeks. I've got a friend in graphic design who's making me an Opus X decal for the door. I promise to post pictures when I'm up and running!


----------



## OratorORourke

joegalvanized said:


> Well, another member checking in here to say thanks. My Newair 281e arrived yesterday, and I'm beginning the cleaning process. Drawers/shelf on order with Forrest. Paid for the quick ship option, and hoping to see them in the next couple of weeks. I've got a friend in graphic design who's making me an Opus X decal for the door. I promise to post pictures when I'm up and running!


Looking forward to the build Joe!


----------



## ROCarson

Does anyone know what Forrest's current lead time is? I haven't seen anyone mention it in a couple pages and I'm thinking that I'm going to finally pull the trigger on my wineador


----------



## c10cko

I placed my order 22nd April. Had an email re the cost of shipping. Still waiting for an email regarding ETA and tracking.


----------



## smokin_dad

Mine took 8 weeks. Order May 22 or 23, and received July 16th.


----------



## JustinThyme

Firstly thanks for the thread and contributions. I have been trolling it for some time and continually trying to talk myself out of a wineador. When that failed I tried to talk myself into a Newair 18 bottle but that didnt happen either. The more I thought about it the more I just decided that the rather large difference in capacity vs smaller difference in cost dictated the larger unit. So in the end I dumped the mother load on a 280E and 5 drawer set up with Padauk hardwood fronts and pulls from Forrest. I went with the pulls more out of purpose than aesthetics. With the pull the dip in the front is non-existent so that third row of stacked smokes wont be peeping out the front where the dip is.

As for Forrest's current lead time, for me its 2 weeks. Yes Im to darned impatient and I have a good 100 sticks heading my way with no place to put them, going to have to do a temp tupperadore until the wineador is ready. Im out city camping ATM with the Newair stuffed with newspaper and baking soda. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with city camping........

40ft 2 br destination trailer in RV resort with AC, hot shower, Cable TV, WIFI access, swimming pool, nice large campsite with fire pit that has seen its share of late night relaxation with nothing but the crackling of the fire, my yellow lab at my feet, the sounds of crickets, a nice drink in one and a a nice stick in the other! Just finished a Padron 64 maduro with a Sam Adams summer ale.


----------



## joegalvanized

JustinThyme said:


> Firstly thanks for the thread and contributions. I have been trolling it for some time and continually trying to talk myself out of a wineador. When that failed I tried to talk myself into a Newair 18 bottle but that didnt happen either. The more I thought about it the more I just decided that the rather large difference in capacity vs smaller difference in cost dictated the larger unit. So in the end I dumped the mother load on a 280E and 5 drawer set up with Padauk hardwood fronts and pulls from Forrest. I went with the pulls more out of purpose than aesthetics. With the pull the dip in the front is non-existent so that third row of stacked smokes wont be peeping out the front where the dip is.
> 
> As for Forrest's current lead time, for me its 2 weeks. Yes Im to darned impatient and I have a good 100 sticks heading my way with no place to put them, going to have to do a temp tupperadore until the wineador is ready. Im out city camping ATM with the Newair stuffed with newspaper and baking soda.
> 
> For those of you who are unfamiliar with city camping........
> 
> 40ft 2 br destination trailer in RV resort with AC, hot shower, Cable TV, WIFI access, swimming pool, nice large campsite with fire pit that has seen its share of late night relaxation with nothing but the crackling of the fire, my yellow lab at my feet, the sounds of crickets, a nice drink in one and a a nice stick in the other! Just finished a Padron 64 maduro with a Sam Adams summer ale.


Here's to City Camping! Sounds perfect, especially with a Padron 64 maduro. I received an update from Forrest on my shelves this weekend. I should see them Tuesday if Fedex does their job. 2.5 weeks from order to arrival. Not bad at all considering Forrest has built an empire making wineador drawers.


----------



## c10cko

After conversing and mixing with far too many American cigar smokers on both here and the Cigardojo App, :bowdown: I recently placed my online UK order for my new Baumatic BW18BL 18 Bottle wine Cooler to turn into my new Windeador!!!

I got this unit from Debenhams direct in the UK (buying a newair and having it shipped was soooo expensive) on their website for GBP102 delivered.

Once the unit arrived I filled it with newspaper to try and rid the inside of the new plastic smell, switching on for a day or so every now and then.








I ordered 4x spanish cedar drawers along with one shelf and some various drawer dividers from Forest at Wineadors.com on 23rd April 2013. 
Total cost of order GBP106 with GBP38 shipping added. I received a letter yesterday from Royal Mail informing me that I need to pay them a further GBP15 for custom fees, which I have now paid. Package being delivered Tuesday. I can't wait!!

It is my plan to use Heartfelt beads to provide/control the humidity, using Oast fans placed in the bottom for air flow and my Caliber digital hydrometer to show both the temp and Rh. I have also purchased a digital socket off eBay to allow the unit to be turned on for 15 minutes every couple of hours. (Hey the UK isn't as hot as LA!)

I'll post more once the drawers have arrived.

Craig


----------



## JustinThyme

Dont you just hate customs fees? They always have to get a cut when they see an opportunity. Probably the worst is when UPS is being used as the carrier coming into the US. 
Im also a semi-pro photographer as a side business and once bought some UV filters from a guy in Canada for a decent price. Well the price wasnt so decent once UPS got their fingers in the mix. I paid $32 for the filters shipped. Customs fees were a mere $3...Now for the part that really chapped my butt! UPS charged a "brokerage fee" of $38! Yes thats right, the "brokerage fee" was more than the cost of the items and the import tariff!

Regular mail isnt so bad at all. I bought an adorini humidor from Germany, got a call from customs because they couldnt discern what was in the box over a language barrier. I told them what it was and was expecting a bill for an import tariff but instead had the box delivered the next day with no additional cost.


----------



## Favvers

c10cko said:


> After conversing and mixing with far too many American cigar smokers on both here and the Cigardojo App, :bowdown: I recently placed my online UK order for my new Baumatic BW18BL 18 Bottle wine Cooler to turn into my new Windeador!!!
> 
> I got this unit from Debenhams direct in the UK (buying a newair and having it shipped was soooo expensive) on their website for GBP102 delivered.
> 
> Once the unit arrived I filled it with newspaper to try and rid the inside of the new plastic smell, switching on for a day or so every now and then.
> View attachment 44950
> 
> 
> I ordered 4x spanish cedar drawers along with one shelf and some various drawer dividers from Forest at Wineadors.com on 23rd April 2013.
> Total cost of order GBP106 with GBP38 shipping added. I received a letter yesterday from Royal Mail informing me that I need to pay them a further GBP15 for custom fees, which I have now paid. Package being delivered Tuesday. I can't wait!!
> 
> It is my plan to use Heartfelt beads to provide/control the humidity, using Oast fans placed in the bottom for air flow and my Caliber digital hydrometer to show both the temp and Rh. I have also purchased a digital socket off eBay to allow the unit to be turned on for 15 minutes every couple of hours. (Hey the UK isn't as hot as LA!)
> 
> I'll post more once the drawers have arrived.
> 
> Craig


Wow, that's excellent. Does it run on a compressor? What's put me off so far is not knowing exactly which UK market cooler to buy, but you've already taken the plunge. What is the capacity?


----------



## c10cko

> Wow, that's excellent. Does it run on a compressor? What's put me off so far is not knowing exactly which UK market cooler to buy, but you've already taken the plunge. What is the capacity?


Not a compressor but the other sort. Thermo something or other. The only difficulty was getting the drawers as I couldn't find anyone in the UK, so after all the recommendations on here used Wineadors.com. Took a while, but well worth it. Not too sure on it capacity yet. Some say as much as 300 sticks. I've also got a cabinet so unsure what I'll do. Boxes in one, bundles and singles in the other?


----------



## elricfate

c10cko said:


> Not a compressor but the other sort. Thermo something or other. The only difficulty was getting the drawers as I couldn't find anyone in the UK, so after all the recommendations on here used Wineadors.com. Took a while, but well worth it. Not too sure on it capacity yet. Some say as much as 300 sticks. I've also got a cabinet so unsure what I'll do. Boxes in one, bundles and singles in the other?
> 
> View attachment 44965


Thermoelectric. Just means it has a piezo cooler instead of a freon (or other gas) based compressor. So running it doesn't change the humidity insomuch as it only changes with the temperature (lower temp, lower humidity) rather than sucking out all the humidity because it's a compressor type.


----------



## atsushi

does anyone know the max amount of drawers (forrests) you can fit in the 280? How about the 281? On his sight it looks like the most is 4 drawers and then 1 false drawer. Anyone go with more, or is there a reason why you need that space at the top?


----------



## c10cko

> Thermoelectric. Just means it has a piezo cooler instead of a freon (or other gas) based compressor. So running it doesn't change the humidity insomuch as it only changes with the temperature (lower temp, lower humidity) rather than sucking out all the humidity because it's a compressor type.


Thank you Elricfate. Sorry I didn't reference your great threat above. I was rushing. 
Favvers look at this one too, its extremly helpful and gave me a bonner too :laugh:
http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/324245-elricfates-wineador-koldfront-28-bottle.html


----------



## elricfate

c10cko said:


> Thank you Elricfate. Sorry I didn't reference your great threat above. I was rushing.
> Favvers look at this one too, its extremly helpful and gave me a bonner too :laugh:
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/cigar-accessory-discussion/324245-elricfates-wineador-koldfront-28-bottle.html


Hell, mine's gone stagnant while I finance a new firearms purchase.


----------



## Favvers

elricfate said:


> Hell, mine's gone stagnant while I finance a new firearms purchase.


Nice, as soon as I saw winedors I thought it would be great to put some kind of real wood veneer on the front to make them look that much nicer. Looks like you had the same idea. If you do get around to it make sure you post some pictures, I'd love to see it realised.


----------



## JustinThyme

atsushi said:


> does anyone know the max amount of drawers (forrests) you can fit in the 280? How about the 281? On his sight it looks like the most is 4 drawers and then 1 false drawer. Anyone go with more, or is there a reason why you need that space at the top?


The magic max number is five, or at least I hope it is because I ordered a 5 drawer 1 shelf set he had listed, not just hey I want 5 drawers. Im thinking you may actually be able to fit 6 but dont know that I would. Im planning on setting up the 5 drawer set with one drawer all the way to the top then the shelf under that. The object is to not have a drawer right in front of the cooling fan.

The 281 will take the smaller drawers but from what i can see using those will cause a loss of capacity as you can only stack one row of stogies. So in two of the spaces you get 2 rows where the same space with a double drawer you get 3 rows.

Ill have mine inside of two weeks so Ill let you know then, I have the 280e mostly because of the all black aspect. A big honking stainless front would stick out like a sore thumb where I keep it. OK for the kitchen as all my appliances are stainless but not in the family room.


----------



## atsushi

Ok....I see, I didn't even think about the cooling fan. Have you put any consideration into the 1" drawers? I doubt it would make a difference in storage capacity, but I imagine you could fit about 10 of those in.


----------



## JustinThyme

Well I have the 280e so the 1" drawers will will leave a huge gap of space, they are only suitable for the 281E that has the extra slots. But like I said 10 1" drawers = 10 rows of capacity where as 5 of the large drawers= 30 rows of capacity, big difference.


----------



## JustinThyme

oops bad math, 15 rows not 30 but thats still a huge difference when you are talking 30-40 sticks to a row.


----------



## ROCarson

It's been just under three weeks (19 days) since I ordered my drawers from Forest. Added the rush charge so I'm starting to get really excited that they should hopefully be ready soon - I can't wait! My NewAir280e has been tormenting me since it came in two weeks ago. I swear I can hear it going "neer neer neer, you can't use me yet"


----------



## Favvers

c10cko said:


> Not a compressor but the other sort. Thermo something or other. The only difficulty was getting the drawers as I couldn't find anyone in the UK, so after all the recommendations on here used Wineadors.com. Took a while, but well worth it. Not too sure on it capacity yet. Some say as much as 300 sticks. I've also got a cabinet so unsure what I'll do. Boxes in one, bundles and singles in the other?
> 
> View attachment 44965


Have you got your draws in yet Craig? Would like to see how your latest project has worked out.


----------



## Chrishorsley13

Took about 6 weeks but just got mine in, I did the 4 drawer two shelf deal with the wenge front upgrade


----------



## JustinThyme

I'm approaching the 3 week mark too on a "rush" order.


----------



## c10cko

> Have you got your draws in yet Craig? Would like to see how your latest project has worked out.


Hi Favvers. Yes, here you go.


----------



## Favvers

Looks great, what is the capacity?


----------



## c10cko

Favvers said:


> Looks great, what is the capacity?


Not too sure as yet. People reckon about 300-400 singles, so plenty of time to fill up.
I'm using my tower humidor for boxes.


----------



## falconman515

So I have been out of the loop here lately (more so because my wineador went form a couple hundred sticks to about 30 ho hum cigars in one tray ... plus the heat here is bad so no time to smoke really).

But great to see my thread is still helping out many other brothers here looking to create there own Wineador.

Really miss my cooler being full and having a cigar worth more then 5 bucks to smoke but hey .. it is what it is ... I'll start getting some good stuff again in the future when I am able to again.

Some really Killer Newairs being made here ... LOVE IT !!!

Good luck guys and as always let me know how I can help.


----------



## dgold21

falconman515 said:


> So I have been out of the loop here lately (more so because my wineador went form a couple hundred sticks to about 30 ho hum cigars in one tray ... plus the heat here is bad so no time to smoke really).
> 
> But great to see my thread is still helping out many other brothers here looking to create there own Wineador.
> 
> Really miss my cooler being full and having a cigar worth more then 5 bucks to smoke but hey .. it is what it is ... I'll start getting some good stuff again in the future when I am able to again.
> 
> Some really Killer Newairs being made here ... LOVE IT !!!
> 
> Good luck guys and as always let me know how I can help.


Finished my Vinotemp 28 thanks in part to your build...I owe you a smoke, are you still in Fresno? I'm in Hanford, let me know if you want to herf it up some time or do a box split to get your wineador back up to snuff


----------



## kustik9d

New Build..started small with a 12 bottle Maitre'D (its a Newair with a different name) Anyway, I'm having troubles with keeping RH. My target is 70% and I haven't found a way to get there. I have an Oasis one fan humidifier and using 70% RH beads. Loaded it with Spanish cedar box waited 2 week and it was steady at 78. Revamped last night and plugged the condensation, removed my sticks caused I was concerned and placed them in a replacement humidor and see it moving down from 83 to 80 in a few hours. Any help. Ideas? what'll happen when I add them back. How long should I wait? Questions Question....


----------



## dgold21

kustik9d said:


> New Build..started small with a 12 bottle Maitre'D (its a Newair with a different name) Anyway, I'm having troubles with keeping RH. My target is 70% and I haven't found a way to get there. I have an Oasis one fan humidifier and using 70% RH beads. Loaded it with Spanish cedar box waited 2 week and it was steady at 78. Revamped last night and plugged the condensation, removed my sticks caused I was concerned and placed them in a replacement humidor and see it moving down from 83 to 80 in a few hours. Any help. Ideas? what'll happen when I add them back. How long should I wait? Questions Question....


For starters, get that Oasis out of there, way overkill for a 12-bottle box...your beads are probably too wet now, you may need to dry the beads out a bit to get some of the moisture out of there.

And welcome to Puff


----------



## kustik9d

Thanks dgold21. I'll do that. Since I paid so much for the oasis would taking out the beads and leaving the humidifier in be about the same. 1/2 lb of beads humidify about 2.5 cubic feet and the wineador is just over that (about two point eight). The Oasis humidifies 4 cubic feet and up. Would that over humidify it?


----------



## dgold21

kustik9d said:


> Thanks dgold21. I'll do that. Since I paid so much for the oasis would taking out the beads and leaving the humidifier in be about the same. 1/2 lb of beads humidify about 2.5 cubic feet and the wineador is just over that (about two point eight). The Oasis humidifies 4 cubic feet and up. Would that over humidify it?


Yes, the main issue with active humidification is that it just puts humidity into the air, but does not remove it, doesn't regulate it. You won't have enough cedar in there to be able to absorb the excess moisture, it's mostly plastic. Beads are the only thing you will need to regulate the RH%. Sell the Oasis on eBay or save it for when you get a large wood humidor or cabinet.


----------



## JustinThyme

Holy Humidity Batman!
+1 on ditch the active humidification and get some dry beads in there like yesterday. Ive seen only one case where I would think of putting an active humidifier in a cooler and that is from having it in too warm of an ambient temp where the cooler runs all the time and sucks it back out but even then that leaves you with a condensation problem. I would say that at two weeks your beads are saturated and need to be dried out. Some use the oven at around 200*, me I use the wifeys hair dryer. You will find that more often than not you need to remove humidity from sticks rather than put it in if its fresh stock. 

One other recommendation would be to get it down in the 65% range instead. I found that 70% gave me a lot of burn issues with the sticks and caused them to take on a bitter taste.


----------



## kustik9d

dgold21 said:


> Yes, the main issue with active humidification is that it just puts humidity into the air, but does not remove it, doesn't regulate it. You won't have enough cedar in there to be able to absorb the excess moisture, it's mostly plastic. Beads are the only thing you will need to regulate the RH%. Sell the Oasis on eBay or save it for when you get a large wood humidor or cabinet.


Will do. I'll update when in a few days to let everyone know how it goes. Thanks dgold...


----------



## kustik9d

Justin...thanks bud. I'm going to take dgold and your advice and ditch the Oasis and dry out my beads and start anew. Its good to finally fall upon some subject matter experts. It sucked looking into the wineador and continually seeing a reading I was unhappy with. Beads and KL will be my method now. I'll be receiving some spanish cedar soon from a contact at the local cigar barto make shelves (I got the tools so it'll be cheaper to do myself) so hopefully itll help. Question. I've seen people place uncharged bead up top to get any extra moisture. Recommended?


----------



## JustinThyme

Im not overly familiar with your model but what I did for mine to alleviate condensate was use a small amount of 70% xikar crystals in a nylon stocking stuffed in the condensate catch basin while using 65% beads. Reasoning behind it is the 70% will catch the humidity that is stolen from the act of cooling the wineador and release it back into the cooler to be reabsorbed by the beads. I assume its working as I stay stable in RH and never get condensate running down the back wall or draining out. Every now and then when I peep in I see where a little trickle came down from the TEC heatsink into the basin and was absorbed. As for distribution of beads Its generally better to distribute them than to put them all in one place. Placement depends on how you have it filled, where the airflow goes, how often you cooling cycles etc. I have a larger cooler, 28 bottle Newair, and have 1 pound of beads in the bottom then two more 1/2 pound bags that I dont charge. One is on the top and one is even with the discharge air of the TEC.


----------



## ROCarson

Just got the tracking number on my shelves from Forrest. Super excited!


----------



## JustinThyme

Im duking it out with FedEx ground ATM on mine. They are bouncing around in a FedEx Ground delivery truck somewhere in the state.


----------



## boro62

JustinThyme said:


> Im not overly familiar with your model but what I did for mine to alleviate condensate was use a small amount of 70% xikar crystals in a nylon stocking stuffed in the condensate catch basin while using 65% beads. Reasoning behind it is the 70% will catch the humidity that is stolen from the act of cooling the wineador and release it back into the cooler to be reabsorbed by the beads. I assume its working as I stay stable in RH and never get condensate running down the back wall or draining out. Every now and then when I peep in I see where a little trickle came down from the TEC heatsink into the basin and was absorbed. As for distribution of beads Its generally better to distribute them than to put them all in one place. Placement depends on how you have it filled, where the airflow goes, how often you cooling cycles etc. I have a larger cooler, 28 bottle Newair, and have 1 pound of beads in the bottom then two more 1/2 pound bags that I dont charge. One is on the top and one is even with the discharge air of the TEC.


Is ur drain plug sealed? And can u snap some pics for me? I'm having a hell of a time with condensation.


----------



## ROCarson

JustinThyme said:


> Im duking it out with FedEx ground ATM on mine. They are bouncing around in a FedEx Ground delivery truck somewhere in the state.


Did FedEx misroute the shipment?


----------



## JustinThyme

Its FedEx Ground thats the problem. Look in the general discussion area for the thread.

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-discussion/328131-why-never-use-fedex-ground.html


----------



## dmanuel

Wanna say thank y'all for all the info in this thread. It really has helped me and is the whole reason I signed up for this forum. Can't wait to get mine finished and going, it won't be nearly as fancy as some of them on here but it will be mine lol


----------



## Smokin'Joe

Great thread! I just wish I could keep up with it.

Wondering if anyone else has encountered the same issue I"m currently having.

When the winedor is not running it sit's rock solid at 75/65. Once it kicks on ( I have a ranco det-up) the humidity drops to about 55 then slowly creeps up once the cooler shuts off. 

Should I be concerned and is there any way to avoid this issue?

Interested to hear if anyone else has encountered this.


----------



## elricfate

Smokin'Joe said:


> Great thread! I just wish I could keep up with it.
> 
> Wondering if anyone else has encountered the same issue I"m currently having.
> 
> When the winedor is not running it sit's rock solid at 75/65. Once it kicks on ( I have a ranco det-up) the humidity drops to about 55 then slowly creeps up once the cooler shuts off.
> 
> Should I be concerned and is there any way to avoid this issue?
> 
> Interested to hear if anyone else has encountered this.


RH lowers as temperature lowers. RH raises as temperature raises. That means when your cooler kicks on, even though it's thermoelectric, the ambient air temp forces the RH to lower. This is called a functional change in RH as it's something you can change by raising the RH back to its desired level via more humidification elements, or with time the currently installed elements will bring it back up.

It's basically the same thing as a purge, which happens when you open the wineador door to grab a smoke and all the humid air rushes out to equalize with the ambient air in the room it's in.


----------



## Smokin'Joe

I currently use KL, Wondering if I should go with 70% beads in order to have it setle somewhere around 60 since my cooler seems to be on quite a bit.

Should I be concerned about any damage to my sticks?


----------



## dgold21

Smokin'Joe said:


> I currently use KL, Wondering if I should go with 70% beads in order to have it setle somewhere around 60 since my cooler seems to be on quite a bit.
> 
> Should I be concerned about any damage to my sticks?


The best thing to do is just to make sure you have more beads than you would normally need to compensate for high and low spikes, making for a quicker recovery. I have about 2.5 pounds of 65% HF beads dispersed through mine now, and have noticed that the variation is much smaller now with the extra beads to absorb the effect of the TEC on the air's RH%. You'll also notice that the more cedar and cigars you have in there, the smaller that variation will be, since all these items hold moisture and help to keep it balanced.

With your controller you can also consider a smaller differential between on/off cycles...you don't have to worry about a TEC "short-cycling" so you can set a small one degree differential so that it runs for a shorter amount of time and also stays off for a shorter amount of time. Just make sure your temp sensor isn't in a dead spot with no air flow, or it could take longer for it to sense the actual temperature of the air in main part of the box.


----------



## Smokin'Joe

All I got out of that was buy more cigars :woohoo:, just kidding thanks for the sound advice.

Hopefully I haven't done any long term damage to my sticks.


----------



## JustinThyme

Smokin'Joe said:


> All I got out of that was buy more cigars :woohoo:, just kidding thanks for the sound advice.
> 
> Hopefully I haven't done any long term damage to my sticks.


Yep, Buy more sticks!

Just a bit of clarification on the RH swings.
The RH decreases in the cooler when the cooling is active not because RH is lower at cooler temps. Its actually the inverse. absolute humidity in a closed space stays the same. RH is dependant on temperature as warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. Whats causing the RH to drop is the condensation over the cold side of the TEC. If you just took the cooler all sealed up and not running and moved it from a warm space to a cool space the RH would actually go up as the temperature inside decreased. When you are reading 60% RH that means the the air is holding 60% of the moisture it is capable of holding at a given temperature. Think weather system. Warm air saturated, cool air moves in that can not hold as much moisture, condensation occurs.


----------



## Smokin'Joe

Thanks for the clarification on the absolute humidity!


----------



## elricfate

JustinThyme said:


> Yep, Buy more sticks!
> 
> Just a bit of clarification on the RH swings.
> The RH decreases in the cooler when the cooling is active not because RH is lower at cooler temps. Its actually the inverse. absolute humidity in a closed space stays the same. RH is dependant on temperature as warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. Whats causing the RH to drop is the condensation over the cold side of the TEC. If you just took the cooler all sealed up and not running and moved it from a warm space to a cool space the RH would actually go up as the temperature inside decreased. When you are reading 60% RH that means the the air is holding 60% of the moisture it is capable of holding at a given temperature. Think weather system. Warm air saturated, cool air moves in that can not hold as much moisture, condensation occurs.


Sorry, I was trying to be concise without being TOO specific.


----------



## Smokin'Joe

elricfate said:


> Sorry, I was trying to be concise without being TOO specific.


No worries brother, it's much appreciated.
Thanks!


----------



## JustinThyme

elricfate said:


> Sorry, I was trying to be concise without being TOO specific.


No worries, just thought i would expand a bit. Im weird that way and Im sure there are others like me that want to know specifics. I often go overboard analyzing things, always have. Good thing I picked the line of work Im in, engineering. I spend most of my work time analyzing things to make improvements or, just flat out, a different solution.


----------



## kustik9d

JustinThyme and dgold21 - So I took your advice. Ditched the active humidification and went all beads and now a week and a half later sitting pretty at 70% RH for the last 3 days. thanks for the info. So now... to add to the build. Anyone now of a decal company that can make decals for the glass! I thought I'd stick up a Marine Corps decal but then I decided I wanted to stick with the cigar theme.


----------



## JustinThyme

Glad to hear its working out for you with the beads. I dont know of any company that makes a cigar theme logo other than those that are custom made for the manufacturers. If you have an image that can be scanned there are plenty of vinyl that can make whatever it is you want and will be more than happy to take your money. Im still tossing this idea around myself trying to settle on a design. Whats available commercially that is even remotely cigar related that I have seen is just plain corny IMO. Id just as soon put a stick figure family on the glass. Ive been seaching some online stores for other designs that are not cigar related but still pondering. There are lots of designs that are made for windows on PC cases that are awesome.


----------



## elricfate

JustinThyme said:


> Glad to hear its working out for you with the beads. I dont know of any company that makes a cigar theme logo other than those that are custom made for the manufacturers. If you have an image that can be scanned there are plenty of vinyl that can make whatever it is you want and will be more than happy to take your money. Im still tossing this idea around myself trying to settle on a design. Whats available commercially that is even remotely cigar related that I have seen is just plain corny IMO. Id just as soon put a stick figure family on the glass. Ive been seaching some online stores for other designs that are not cigar related but still pondering. There are lots of designs that are made for windows on PC cases that are awesome.


You know what I've been playing with? Cigar rings and clear tape. I've just been putting lines of them across the glass whenever I remember to save a ring. Also stuck a Mario Bros. decal I've had kicking around, and a one of those white Buck heads from Petersen's Hunting at the top.


----------



## ROCarson

kustik9d said:


> I thought I'd stick up a Marine Corps decal but then I decided I wanted to stick with the cigar theme.


I've got a local printer here in Champaign, IL that I work with to do window coverings I can get you in touch with if you can't find someone local. If you're going to look local, I'd hit the commercial printers that specialize in vehicle wraps and vinyl banners - the type of printer that can do window coverings will typically use those two services as their main advertising points. You want an inside covering if at all possible for a cleaner look and feel. Design wise, I'm a commercial graphic artist so I created my own artwork. I went the route of making something that looks like an old cigar jar that I have in my collection (1939 Mercantile Cigar Jar - DWG Corp, Ohio Factory No.77) with my company logo worked into the design.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures to show of my NewAir280 soon. My shelves are arriving today!


----------



## dgold21

I want to find a printer that does the decals that will make your glass look like it's frosted or etched...and have the design done in that material. There was a guy in one of these wineador threads that had that done with the Habanos logo and leaf and it looked fantastic.


----------



## elricfate

dgold21 said:


> I want to find a printer that does the decals that will make your glass look like it's frosted or etched...and have the design done in that material. There was a guy in one of these wineador threads that had that done with the Habanos logo and leaf and it looked fantastic.


There was once a guy who did that, put them out commercially for everyone else, and got in trouble. I just forget who it is.


----------



## ROCarson

dgold21 said:


> I want to find a printer that does the decals that will make your glass look like it's frosted or etched...and have the design done in that material. There was a guy in one of these wineador threads that had that done with the Habanos logo and leaf and it looked fantastic.


Then you'll want the type of printer that I'm talking about. It's a fairly common technique, so any printer that does that type of work should know what you're wanting - it's an etched vinyl decal (also referred to as a frosted vinyl decal)



elricfate said:


> There was once a guy who did that, put them out commercially for everyone else, and got in trouble. I just forget who it is.


Yeah, violating someone's trademark / copyright is uncool.


----------



## JustinThyme

Problem with copyrights these days it they arent worth the paper they are printed on with all the Chinese manufacturing going on. They just don't care in the least. Its very common for them to run ghosts shifts with intellectual property violations. They will take all of your designs and equipment used to make the stuff and make it dirt cheap for you for two shifts at the factory you paid to build. On the third shift they are making the same thing with your stuff and putting their label on it and selling it through different channels. If its lucrative enough they will clone the entire process and build their own factory. They are cloning Mercedes and BMW models with precision so tight that you can take a door off of their clone version and bolt it up to its original counterpart and it will be a perfect fit! We arent talking close, its exact right down to every detail. Only difference is the raw materials are cheaper and the name plate.


----------



## ROCarson

You are very correct, it's extremely hard to defend a trademark or copyright these days. Generally what ends up happening is that you go after the small guys operating inside the country or those selling said item where you can get to them. 

On a different note, I haven't enough posts to put up the artwork that is going on my wineador glass or pictures of my wineador itself. I'll have to find some other topics that I can meaningfully contribute to instead of just reading this weekend to get my post count up.


----------



## JustinThyme

You cant post pics at a different site like photobucket or similar and link them here using the image function. I have my own professional photography website with unlimited bandwidth and use that. The attachment function here is flaky at best.


----------



## ROCarson

Only fourteen posts - seriously I just read a lot and don't really have much to contribute other than "yeah, I agree", lol - so I can't link yet either. I'll work on it so I can show folks what I ended up doing to my winador especially since it's what some other folks in this thread were looking to have done too.


----------



## Maxsi

Hey, c10cko
I've been looking at that make of cooler , was good to see one with drawers , really nice.
My question is, how hard was it ordering drawers, did you mail them dimensions or ????
Cheers 
Pm me if u like, I can't ;(


----------



## JustinThyme

Hi Simon, Welcome to puff. You might want to wander over to the Newbie area and make an introduction post.

As for ordering the drawers its highly dependent on which cooler you are using. For most of the popular models the two places that make the drawers already have the dimensions and you just order what you want off of their website.

If its something off the wall then you have to get up with them using the contact page info and get a quote.


----------



## Maxsi

Hi & thx Rob,
I've been looking at the Baumatic BW18BL, which is how I found c10ck's posts and also being from the UK was wondering how it went for him ordering the drawers.


----------



## c10cko

Maxsi said:


> Hi & thx Rob,
> I've been looking at the Baumatic BW18BL, which is how I found c10ck's posts and also being from the UK was wondering how it went for him ordering the drawers.


 @Maxsi. Sorry buddy, I've been sleeping!! Yeah, got my Baumatic 18 online for 'bout £100. I then emailed Forest at Wineadors.com to discuss the internal measurements. We went on the rack sizes. Forest thought that my sizes were very similar/same as the Newair AW180E unit, so that's what I ordered. The drawers and shelve slide in great, as long as you make sure they go in straight.

Hey, I'm in Hampshire, so if you wanted to pop in and take a look, by all means Bud.


----------



## c10cko

@Maxsi, Simon I can't seem to PM you until your post numbers increase. Get introducing yourself......


----------



## Maxsi

> Newair AW180E


 awesome Craig, many thx.
Did you have any issues on setup of the winey or pretty straight forward.
Shropshire btw, not ideal for popping round, cheers.


----------



## Maxsi

& :smile: 
I notice for your pictures that the bottom drawer front is bigger, is it the same depth drawer but with the extended false part ?
Thx


----------



## c10cko

Maxsi said:


> & :smile:
> I notice for your pictures that the bottom drawer front is bigger, is it the same depth drawer but with the extended false part ?
> Thx


Exactly that. Same depth, just wider front covering the bowl of Heartfelt beads in the bottom.


----------



## drb124

I have posted in this thread before and have found good info as well when making my move to the New Air unit. Unfortunately I am having a bit of a problem with one of my units and it is looking as if I am going to have to make a repair. My thermostat is wildly inaccurate to the point of being useless. It is showing 56 when it is 68-69 in the cooler. This leads to a lack of efficient cooling. Essentially this means, that at the least I need to replace the thermostat. I have taken the back off of the unit so I assume the thermostat is within the internal fan module. If anyone can give me any detailed information on how to get to and/or replace the thermostat, that would be great. Also if anyone knows where to get parts for the 280E. I have an email in to air-n-water, so that may pan out. Thanks for the help.


----------



## Ajaxconan

If you guys lurk on Craiglist long enough in a metro area you can get a Newair AW-280E for a good price: Got mine for 100 on C-list: Thanks everyone for the great pics and info: Looks like a fun project:


----------



## pachila

Nice stash!

Are these trays from cheaphumidors? My 280E is full now and thinking to get another 280 with cheaper drawer setup.....

Thanks for your time


----------



## Horsefeathers

drb124 said:


> If anyone can give me any detailed information on how to get to and/or replace the thermostat, that would be great. Also if anyone knows where to get parts for the 280E. I have an email in to air-n-water, so that may pan out. Thanks for the help.


Did you ever get a response on replacement parts? I got a 280E for Christmas (from my wife, who is awesome), but it's missing one of the adjustable feet.


----------



## falconman515

pachila said:


> Nice stash!
> 
> Are these trays from cheaphumidors? My 280E is full now and thinking to get another 280 with cheaper drawer setup.....
> 
> Thanks for your time


Yes the trays are from Cheaphumidors.com


----------



## acts541

Just got my 280 today, will have the drawers from Forrest in a few weeks. I noticed someone in the thread commented they put a rubber cap over the drain hole inside the unit. I like that idea over caulking it, does anyone one know what size or where to find those kind of caps? Thanks!!


----------



## Hoosier Daddy

That might've been me because that's what I did. I got mine in an assorted size pack for a couple of bucks at Napa Auto Parts. Any auto parts store would probably have what you're looking for.


----------



## robinsonfam1

acts541 said:


> Just got my 280 today, will have the drawers from Forrest in a few weeks. I noticed someone in the thread commented they put a rubber cap over the drain hole inside the unit. I like that idea over caulking it, does anyone one know what size or where to find those kind of caps? Thanks!!


try an ace hardware or the likes. they typically have about every size cap/plug/cork. sorry i dont know the size on a 280. my mini wineador i just caulked it. easy to remove later if need be too.


----------



## BadBeerBreath

I'm just curious....does that tiny little drain hole leak humidity? 

I haven't bothered to plug it and my 280E seems to be holding humidity fine enough here in the dry depths of winter.

Anyone actually experimented....plugged vs. non-plugged?


----------



## ejewell

BadBeerBreath said:


> I'm just curious....does that tiny little drain hole leak humidity?
> 
> I haven't bothered to plug it and my 280E seems to be holding humidity fine enough here in the dry depths of winter.
> 
> Anyone actually experimented....plugged vs. non-plugged?


In winter you might benefit due to low humidity, but I've found in PA even in the summer I get condensation when running..

I also plugged my drain hole right away but had drilled a hole to run lights in, and at a rougly 1/2 inch diameter I did have a big loss in RH during winter, but not so much during summer. (rh at my apt right now is ~38% so it sucks out moisture) so I had to plug those access holes as well, even though I was still technically needing them open. my Wineador has since stabilized.

Hope this helps.
-Erik


----------



## acts541

Hoosier Daddy said:


> That might've been me because that's what I did. I got mine in an assorted size pack for a couple of bucks at Napa Auto Parts. Any auto parts store would probably have what you're looking for.


Awesome, thanks bro!


----------



## falconman515

*I keep hearing about All These NewAir's but NO PICS??? * :ask:

*Pics or they never happened!* :thumb:

:bl


----------



## ejewell

falconman515 said:


> *I keep hearing about All These NewAir's but NO PICS??? * :ask:
> 
> *Pics or they never happened!* :thumb:
> 
> :bl


This


----------



## BadBeerBreath

Waiting on drawers, but I just got word they should ship this coming week. 

Once I have them in I'll be sure to put up pics!


----------



## lukem

falconman515 said:


> I just placed my order for my new NewAir AW-280E 28 Bottle Wine Cooler to turn into my new Windeador!!! :woohoo:
> 
> There are many threads with builds dedicated to Vino and Edgestar but nothing that I could find on the NewAir thats very detailed. Since this unit is being talked about and is going for such a great price I thought for us new guys interested in getting into a wineador this thread would help if anyone is thinking of purchasing this specific unit.
> 
> I got this unit from Air and Water (seems to be a very reputable company and has great customer service) on their eBay website for $175.22 (They are located in California so if you live in CA. add $13.58 for tax) with Free Shipping!
> 
> Here is a link to their direct website and also to their eBay store online:
> AW-280E NewAir 28 Bottle Thermoelectric Wine Cooler With Touch Screen and LED Light
> AIR and WATER items - Get great deals on items on eBay Stores!
> 
> Once this unit arrives I will journal my progress with updates and pictures. I will be using certain items in this unit as far as humidity control, air flow, temp and Rh gauging, drawers / shelves and etc. and will be specifying what I use, where its purchased from and the price it was bought for.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I hope this thread helps others in assisting them with their NewAir 28 build as well.
> 
> There are few members that have a NewAir 28 unit here on Puff and I urge them to please come in on this thread and post pictures and suggestions as well throughout this threads progress.
> 
> I look forward to updating this thread with pictures and progress and please let me know if you have any questions or comments!
> 
> Chris (falconman515) :cowboyic9:


Thanks for this thread. Between this thread and another one I got all the information I needed to make a decision and purchase a wineador. Although I'm impatient and ordered the CC-280. I just started my own thread with p

http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...wair-cc-280e-400-count-cigar-cooler-came.html


----------



## falconman515

lukem said:


> Thanks for this thread. Between this thread and another one I got all the information I needed to make a decision and purchase a wineador. Although I'm impatient and ordered the CC-280. I just started my own thread with p
> 
> http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/v...wair-cc-280e-400-count-cigar-cooler-came.html


Glad my thread could help brother ... your build looks great ... keep the pics and updates coming!


----------



## jimmyv723

First post on here but had to say great thread and lots of great info and great looking Wineadors as well. Have been wanting to do one of these for quite a while now and finally took the plunge. Decided to go with the CC-280e since it comes with shelves and drawers already. I may decide to order a couple more pieces but for now this will allow me to get started and not have to order the cooler and drawers/shelves separately and then wait impatiently for them to arrive.

The unit should be here next week and I already have some cigars to go into it and just grabbed two 10 packs of RP Vintage 1990 Torpedoes as well. The wineador is an early BDay present to myself and with any money I do get for my BDay later this month I will be getting some sticks to stock this bad boy. Hopefully can get a few boxes of stuff I know I like and some five packs of stuff I've been wanting to try as well.

Once again, great thread and looking forward to joining the Wineador ranks.

PS - Got the cc-280e on the Air and Water site and they are showing 2 left in stock as of right now. If you are quick enough to grab one and use the code july4 it will knock 25% off the price. Was able to get it for just $337 after the discount and it includes free shipping. Hopefully someone who has been wanting to get one can snag one of the last two at a killer price.


----------



## WNYTony

jimmyv723 said:


> First post on here but had to say great thread


Some would say legendary !

Ok - now that I've harassed @falconman515 back to the original post

Welcome fellow western New Yorker ! I'm south of you by 2 hours - always great to see someone from the area on Puff.

Great pickup and great way to jump in. You won't be waiting on drawers as I was for nearly 3 months (but it was worth it) and can get it right up and running. See how it goes and you can always order more drawers if you want to. Wish the 280e would have been in stock when I did mine.

RP Vintage 1990's - great sticks. Since you are new to the site - check out the NOOB PIF and NOOB Sampler trade threads. It's a great way to pick up some new smokes to try and meet some people.

Very nice tip on the 25% off - that will help out some BOTL's who are on the fence.

Welcome and very nice job on your first post.


----------



## jimmyv723

Thanks for the warm welcome and yes the thread is quite Legen wait for it... Dary. Thanks for the heads up on the PIF and Trade threads and will check them out. Really looking forward to getting the Winedor in next week and getting it up and running. Already got some promo deal emails for my BDay so planning my stocking strategies ahead of time lol. Been pretty much only smoking pipes for over a year now so will be nice to get back into Cigars more again too.


----------



## jimmyv723

It's herrrrrrrreeeeeee...
















Glad to have finally gotten one of these and one added benefit to getting the CC version of the 280e that comes with the shelves, besides not having to wait to get them made, is that the inside already has the nice cedar smell. I know a lot of people mention the bad plastic smell with these but nothing but cedar in this one. Now comes the fun part of filling it which will start next week because still waiting on the rest of what I need. It shall definitely be fun though.


----------



## Bondo 440

Awesome stuff. Real nice. ! Congrats guys !


----------



## ELLASU

falconman I have one that is suppose to be on its way do you mind if I tag on my pics here? Hate to start a thread for another build. Tried to pm you but could find it.:shock:


----------



## sum12nv

Figured I'd post up here since this is the most popular aw280e thread and didnt want to clutter the forum. I built my aw280e wineador 2 years ago after seeing this thread and its worked great up until a month ago. The unit is not cooling. The fans run and the temp readout shows its cooling down to the temp I select but you can tell there isnt cool air in the unit nor does my hygrometers temp reading show the temp change. I've contacted air-n-water and have had them send me a new pc board and 2 new cooling units with no luck. I cant imagine i've gotten all defective parts but i'm starting to wonder. Anyone have any other ideas as to what I could check? The unit is only 2 years old and its normally only on 3 or 4 months a year


----------



## JustinThyme

@sum12nv
Not to many things it can be. If you have a DVM it takes just a few minutes to identify the culprit. TEC, Control Board, Front panel. First thing I would check is to see if there is VDC going to the TEC as most of the time thats what bites it and they are fairly easy and inexpensive to replace.
You will be better off I think if you do go ahead and post a new topic or PM a Mod to split this one as a lot of folks will overlook it hidden in here.


----------



## fdfirebiz

Hi having the same issue with my winador new air 280e had it a little over 2 yrs now and my digital temp on the unit reads 61 degrees and inside the unit my 3 digi hydros temp reads 65 degrees and I have the unit turned all the way up to 66. I think my temp board is bad the thermostat part on the board. I allied new air also and they think I need anew circuit boar but they are out of stock on them seems like they have problems with the board. Hey rob not to be stupid but what is a vdc you mentioned?. I jus bought a new koldfront 28 bottle unit and am in the process of changing everything over and adding a lot of new stuff love the hobby lol.


----------



## Trackmyer

sum12nv said:


> Figured I'd post up here since this is the most popular aw280e thread and didnt want to clutter the forum. I built my aw280e wineador 2 years ago after seeing this thread and its worked great up until a month ago. The unit is not cooling. The fans run and the temp readout shows its cooling down to the temp I select but you can tell there isnt cool air in the unit nor does my hygrometers temp reading show the temp change. I've contacted air-n-water and have had them send me a new pc board and 2 new cooling units with no luck. I cant imagine i've gotten all defective parts but i'm starting to wonder. Anyone have any other ideas as to what I could check? The unit is only 2 years old and its normally only on 3 or 4 months a year


A few questions, did the peltiers arrive as a complete unit or did you have to take apart and change the pads? If you changed the pads, did you put heat sink compound on, and did you verify you put it in cold side facing in towards the cabinet?

If you did all this, and you are sure you are good on peltier and board installation then time to look at your thermistor.

I havent seen the one Newair uses, but it will have two wires and be in close proximity to the peltiers. Some thermistor's are small silver cylinder type like a small tube. Others may be a small black tip with the two wires coming out of it.
Most likely this is what has failed. Thermistors work off of resistance to tell the board the temp. Over time thermistors become weak and fail to give proper resistance readings. When this happens the board thinks its cool enough and fails to send signal to the peltiers to start working. Just the opposite happens at times as well and the unit over cools dropping temps to the point of freezing. 
The fans are seperate from the cooling circuit. I have noticed with my Newair that the fans run constant regardless of if peltiers are engaged or not.

If you have not thrown out your old parts dont. They may be still fine.

And like Rob says, you may want to start a whole new thread.


----------



## fdfirebiz

So where can I get the thermistor part you mentioned. If you can get a me apart number or a site where I can go to to buy this small silver cylinder part? Thanks for all the help.


----------



## sum12nv

Okay I let this thing run for 24hrs now with the new cooling unit and it seems to be cooling somewhat. I have the unit at 60 and the digital readout says 60 but my hygrometers are at 65 which is where I want it at anyways. So it seems that its just not cooling to the set temperature.



JustinThyme said:


> @sum12nv
> Not to many things it can be. If you have a DVM it takes just a few minutes to identify the culprit. TEC, Control Board, Front panel. First thing I would check is to see if there is VDC going to the TEC as most of the time thats what bites it and they are fairly easy and inexpensive to replace.
> You will be better off I think if you do go ahead and post a new topic or PM a Mod to split this one as a lot of folks will overlook it hidden in here.


I think all the electronics have electricity its just not functioning properly. DVM - digital volt meter? TEC? Also do you know what readings I'm looking for? I can check all this but have no idea what the correct readings should be



Trackmyer said:


> A few questions, did the peltiers arrive as a complete unit or did you have to take apart and change the pads? If you changed the pads, did you put heat sink compound on, and did you verify you put it in cold side facing in towards the cabinet?
> 
> If you did all this, and you are sure you are good on peltier and board installation then time to look at your thermistor.
> 
> I havent seen the one Newair uses, but it will have two wires and be in close proximity to the peltiers. Some thermistor's are small silver cylinder type like a small tube. Others may be a small black tip with the two wires coming out of it.
> Most likely this is what has failed. Thermistors work off of resistance to tell the board the temp. Over time thermistors become weak and fail to give proper resistance readings. When this happens the board thinks its cool enough and fails to send signal to the peltiers to start working. Just the opposite happens at times as well and the unit over cools dropping temps to the point of freezing.
> The fans are seperate from the cooling circuit. I have noticed with my Newair that the fans run constant regardless of if peltiers are engaged or not.
> 
> If you have not thrown out your old parts dont. They may be still fine.
> 
> And like Rob says, you may want to start a whole new thread.


I've kept all the old parts though I'm going to have to send all the parts I didnt use back to air-n-water

The cooling unit comes as a whole so there was no having to put compound on or anything. It has all the wires, fans and heat sinks all mounted as one



fdfirebiz said:


> So where can I get the thermistor part you mentioned. If you can get a me apart number or a site where I can go to to buy this small silver cylinder part? Thanks for all the help.


I would like to know where to buy a thermostat as well. I havent asked air-n-water if they have this part for sale. They seemed to indicate that the pc board and cooling unit are the only parts they sell. They dont sell anything for the front digital display.


----------



## Trackmyer

sum12nv said:


> Okay I let this thing run for 24hrs now with the new cooling unit and it seems to be cooling somewhat. I have the unit at 60 and the digital readout says 60 but my hygrometers are at 65 which is where I want it at anyways. So it seems that its just not cooling to the set temperature.
> 
> I think all the electronics have electricity its just not functioning properly. DVM - digital volt meter? *TEC*? Also do you know what readings I'm looking for? I can check all this but have no idea what the correct readings should be
> 
> I would like to know where to buy a *thermostat* as well. I havent asked air-n-water if they have this part for sale. They seemed to indicate that the pc board and cooling unit are the only parts they sell. They dont sell anything for the front digital display.


Yes DVM means Digital Volt Meter, which are more accurate when dealing with low voltages compared to Analog volt meters which use the power being tested as a source to run the meter as well.

TEC means ThermoElectricCooler

As to Thermostat, most TEC type units do not have a mechanical bulb and tube thermostat, they have what is called a thermistor, which sends a resistance reading to the board controlling cooling functions. The resistance reading is converted by the board to a specific temperature. So nothing is truly reading the actual temperature, as much as its reading ohms as a way of computing temperature. Hope this didnt muddy you up to much.


----------



## fdfirebiz

Rob what does vdc mean which you mentioned in one of your replays to our issues with the thermistor?


----------



## fdfirebiz

Jason it seems both of us have the same issue with the thermostat hopefully can come up with the part so we can replace it.


----------



## Trackmyer

fdfirebiz said:


> Rob what does *vdc* mean which you mentioned in one of your replays to our issues with the thermistor?


Volts Direct Current.. the cooling pads runs off of Volts DC


----------



## fdfirebiz

Oh so that's what it stands for lol now I have to figure out which part to replace. So my question is do I need to get a new circuit board but Newair is out of .stock I would like to know if there is another place to buy one.?


----------



## sum12nv

fdfirebiz said:


> Oh so that's what it stands for lol now I have to figure out which part to replace. So my question is do I need to get a new circuit board but Newair is out of .stock I would like to know if there is another place to buy one.?


I have a spare board I was getting ready to send back. I have no clue if its good or bad. When I tried it, it didnt fix my problem. Though now that ive tried this latest cooling unit the unit is actually cooling even though its not accurate.


----------



## JustinThyme

Thanks for taking up my slack Trackmyer. Thats why I suggested posting this in its own thread and its getting buried and my old arse forgot about it.

As for which part you need it could be identified in two steps mentioned before. If you have VDC going to the TEC, its going to be rated for 12 or 24 volts and its not cooling its the TEC. If you dont then you narrowed it down to the control board or thermistor. Shouldn't be hard to figure out the thermistor connection and just read across it with no power on the cooler in ohms. These pretty much always fail open so if you are getting a fairly stable reading that will change with temperature thats good and its your control board. There is but one other thing that is actually the first troubleshooting step and that is to check all wiring and connections and make sure your fans are spinning and the heat sinks aren't gunked up. 

I do know that NewAir does not sell the front panel portion that goes in the door and glass assembly. There was another BOTL several months back that got his cooler with the glass shattered and they sent him another unit as they don't sell the glass door portion, they consider it to be cost prohibitive to replace it. Worse comes to worse this can be made to work with a bulb Tstat, and a 12VDC power supply effectively canning the control board.


----------



## fdfirebiz

So I just finished my 2nd winador build koldfront 28 bottle unit .my question what is the coldest temp to keep our cigars stored at. I keep my units in a cool no direct sunlight room and the ambient temp is 70 degrees in the morning and the evening. During the day it gets like 72 Degrees. So when both units are plugged in and are set to the highest temp 65 degrees they both show 62 degrees. And my humidity is 65% .when I unplug the units the humidity shoots up to 70 % humidity. So I take out the kitty litter to bring down the humidity. So what do I do. is 62 degrees ok in the units. I'm running 1-120 mm fan at the bottom blowing up towards the back and 2-40 mm fans at the top rear blowing out towards the front. I have them on a 12volt cycle timer set to come on for 15 minutes every 2 hrs so far I getting good even airflow throughout the winador. Bu need to know if 62 is to cold.


----------



## JustinThyme

If your ambient is not getting too high You can leave it unplugged, many do. The RH is going to shoot up when going from 62 to 70 but should calm right back down in less than 24 hours. 
Most keep them dialed all the way up to get the temp closer to 70 but some research I did shows that the gestation of the tobacco beetle isn't thwarted 100% until you are <64F. The cooler you keep it the slower the aging process will be. 

The only real downside I can think of to being at 62F is you wouldnt want to just yank smokes from the wineador and lite them up. I keep mine in the 64-65 range but at the same time I don't smoke from them. Ill go in when needed to restock my 60ct humi that I smoke from. This gets the temp closer to what I'm going to be smoking it at.


----------



## fdfirebiz

I unplugged the units this morning and it's holding beautifully temp is 69 degrees humidity 67 to 68 that's perfect. I ordered 2 lbs of heartfelt beads hopefully they will be here today. I removed one large sock with kitty litter cause as the temp went up in the unit so did the humidity. After moving the one large sock of kl it's holding very nice at 69* 68% Humidity. Every site I checked on for cigar storage relative humidity and temp they say 70* 70% humidity Is perfect for cigars due to the ambient room temp which effects rh in the winador. Do you agree with their theories? Do you run a rtc like Johnson control cause like I said with the unit turned all the way up to the warmest setting and on my koldfront 28 it's an analog thermostat so turned all the way up to the warmest setting I'm getting still 62* so my rh drops. Why does the temp drop so low with these wine coolers I also have a Newair 280 e and have the same issue. Where as my ambient room temp is 70* is that normal and if it is is that why so many brother get the Johnson control or the ranco units to get the temps they want?


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## JustinThyme

Some do opt for different thermostats for more precise control. I like my sticks at 65%. I tend to have fewer burn issues and in my experience 70% yielded an acrid taste I was not at all fond of. I went to 65% and never looked back. I have a Newair and a Eurocave, both at 65/65


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## fdfirebiz

I'm putting in 2 lbs of 65% heartfelt beads replacing my kl. so this will keep my rh at 65% right even if my temp is 68* I should be fine right. Do you have a rtc in your winador if so do you like it?


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## JustinThyme

Nope, no RTC dodnt need it. Mine is actually accurate and stays 65-66F. I have 2 lbs of HF beads in my NewAir and 4 lbs in the Eurocave. 
Yes the HF beads will level it out. Like I said earlier the RH will spike but it will level out usually within 24 hours. When getting your RH where you want it think in terms of days not hours or minutes. If you try to compensate over to short of a period of time you will do nothing but chase your tail up an down with the RH.


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## fdfirebiz

My rh is good been holding at 68% rh but I noticed as of half hrs ago my temp went up to 71.3 ambient in room is 70* why is the temp high I have the unit unplugged since this morning I don't get this if I plug unit in it drops to 61*. Plus the unit is set at highest temp on max warm setting It's in a cool room no sun shines in the room at all.


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## Trackmyer

fdfirebiz said:


> I'm putting in 2 lbs of 65% heartfelt beads replacing my kl. so this will keep my rh at 65% right even if my temp is 68* I should be fine right. Do you have a rtc in your winador if so do you like it?


Concerning remote temp controllers. I am firm believer in them. I am a tech by trade, and spend many hours a day on the road away from home. Here in upstate NY we have tons of severe rain storms and losing electricity is always a possibility. Though usually it is only a brief loss, its still a break in service.

When NewAir wine coolers lose power, even if its only a minute or two, when power is returned the unit comes back on at its lowest setting. In the 280 model that means back on and cooling to a 50 degree setting. When you rapid drop your temp, you are inviting a huge spike of condensation.

This is where the temp controller steps in. The controller goes off with no power just like the cooler did, but when it comes back on it remembers your temp setting. By having the power to your cooler being supplied by the controller you can set a minimum temp. Mine is set at 64'f.

When the electricity to the home is restored and the cooler starts cooling down to the now reset 50, mine will drop to 64 and once there the controller kills power to the entire unit. When the temp climbs back up to 65 in turns wine cooler back on, at 64 back off. 
This at least gives me piece of mind that I wont come home after a storm to find my sticks all sopping wet and 50'. I would just reset the wine cooler to 66' and my temp controller just goes back on guard duty.


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## fdfirebiz

I think that's what I need and will order tonite I'm getting the Johnson etc I've read so many threads regarding winadors temp dropping to low even though my setting is set to the highest warmest setting .its drivin me crazy if I unplug unit it goes over 70*+ if I leave it plugged in it drops to 62* even though it's set to max warm setting? Question on the Johnson .etc if I want to set it to like 68* but I don't want it to go over 70* can I do that. This way my rh will stay at 65/66%


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## JustinThyme

Trackmyer said:


> Concerning remote temp controllers. I am firm believer in them. I am a tech by trade, and spend many hours a day on the road away from home. Here in upstate NY we have tons of severe rain storms and losing electricity is always a possibility. Though usually it is only a brief loss, its still a break in service.
> 
> When NewAir wine coolers lose power, even if its only a minute or two, when power is returned the unit comes back on at its lowest setting. In the 280 model that means back on and cooling to a 50 degree setting. When you rapid drop your temp, you are inviting a huge spike of condensation.
> 
> This is where the temp controller steps in. The controller goes off with no power just like the cooler did, but when it comes back on it remembers your temp setting. By having the power to your cooler being supplied by the controller you can set a minimum temp. Mine is set at 64'f.
> 
> When the electricity to the home is restored and the cooler starts cooling down to the now reset 50, mine will drop to 64 and once there the controller kills power to the entire unit. When the temp climbs back up to 65 in turns wine cooler back on, at 64 back off.
> This at least gives me piece of mind that I wont come home after a storm to find my sticks all sopping wet and 50'. I would just reset the wine cooler to 66' and my temp controller just goes back on guard duty.


You are not as big of a tech geek as I am! I dont have to worry about that. I have a 5kW UPS with 20 minutes of batteries that feeds all my electronics, fire and security in my basement and 20kW Nat gas fired generator with an automatic transfer switch that fires up and transfers when I go 20 seconds with no utility and wont come back off of generator until 30 minutes have passed with stable power that is sufficient to run the whole house. So my wineador never loses power, ever.

Ill shoot my brother in law an email telling him you said the power in NY sucks. He works not far west of you in one of the RG&E hydro plants.


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## Trackmyer

I feel you may be getting a tad too specific for your temp. control.

I only use mine for emergency loss of power.

To look at a 68-70 window, though you could probably find a controller that controls both a high end and bottom end, two degrees is a very fine margin.

My wineador is monitored in three zones (upper, middle, bottom). My temp varies two degrees between the three, with the middle zone in front of peltiers showing coolest. Due to the space inside the unit, trying to get a specific degree in all three is probably attainable, but most likely more hit and miss.

My 280 is set on door to 66'f and my top zone is currently 66.2', middle is 64.4', and bottom is 65.5'. As long as its stays above 64 and below 70 Im happy. 

You have to understand cooling is like heating in that you will have carry over. 

If your peltier is set to 66' and its cooling down from say 70' the peltier has full power going to it to cool off. Once it hits its target the power to peltier will turn off, but the aluminum its attached to is still dropping in temp., the fans are still blowing air off it and your temp will go down a tad more. Then as it slowly climbs back up the cycle is repeated.


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## Trackmyer

JustinThyme said:


> You are not as big of a tech geek as I am! I dont have to worry about that. I have a 5kW UPS with 20 minutes of batteries that feeds all my electronics, fire and security in my basement and 20kW Nat gas fired generator with an automatic transfer switch that fires up and transfers when I go 20 seconds with no utility and wont come back off of generator until 30 minutes have passed with stable power that is sufficient to run the whole house. So my wineador never loses power, ever.
> 
> Ill shoot my brother in law an email telling him you said the power in NY sucks. He works not far west of you in one of the RG&E hydro plants.


I have municipal power, but you can tell him NY power sucks anyways...haha.

As to all the emergency gear you have running, very nice. Maybe in my next house. This one is a hundred years old, and not a good hundred, more like a drunken carnival person built it, after their fifth bottle of scotch. But its in town, and the Mrs. wanted the kids to be able to play with other kids while growing up. It's why I couldn't buy my gentleman's farm when we moved up here. Little did she know that they would spend all their free time on computers and electronic devices. So not much playing with local kids anyhow.

Five more years and this joker is paid off free n clear, and my butt is moving to the country. Dont want much just 5-10 acres and single story ranch with 2 car garage and small barn.


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## fdfirebiz

Yes but mine drops to 62* both of my units do I have a brand new koldfront 28 and a Newair 280e the temp doesn't stop at 66 it plummets to 62* both units my ambient room temp stays like 70 to 72 degrees so why does both units temp drops that low when I have them set to warmest setting .so with a Johnson etc I can set at like 68* and don't have to worry about what the unit temp drop at is that right? This way my rh will be stable at 65 to 66 rh


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## fdfirebiz

Come on down to virginia living here in Fredericksburg va is cheap to live I moved out of LI NY after I retired from the ny city fire dept. you can get a nice home here cheap property taxes.


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## JustinThyme

Agree with the temp differential, Nothing can be controlled to a 1 degree margin, NOTHING. All you end up doing is creating a short cycle which is even worse on the electronics.

Im kinda in the same boat with where we live. This was about the kids getting a decent education. We payed way too much for the house and the taxes are way to damn high but what we get is a school district that is ranked in the top 5% nationally. Im with you on a few acres off the beaten path and thats where I really want to be but Im going to catch hell with that as the wifey is a Jersey girl. Ill be happy if we can get the hell out of this over populated and over taxed area into a smaller house with a few acres. Right now its a 100x200ft lot, 3500 sq ft of house that takes up most of the lot in one of the most densely populated places in the country. The county I live in has a higher population than most states do. Hell just the township is over 250K people with a high school of 4K students. My Daughter will be a sophomore in HS next year and my Son in the 7th grade so 6 more years!


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## fdfirebiz

Maybe I'm saying it wrong I want to keep the unit temp up in the high 60ies to 70 the highest but currently I am having to many temp swings as posted earlier. So with a Johnson ETC I can set it for like 68*'and it will stay that temp. Do any of you guys know how to set the ETC up like cycle for example if I want it to stay 68* how long will it stay on until it cycles off. Or is there a setting like a set point so it comes in at 68* off like 70* so it won't short cycle. I'm sure there is settings like that.


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## Trackmyer

JustinThyme said:


> Agree with the temp differential, Nothing can be controlled to a 1 degree margin, NOTHING. All you end up doing is creating a short cycle which is even worse on the electronics.
> 
> Im kinda in the same boat with where we live. This was about the kids getting a decent education. We payed way too much for the house and the taxes are way to damn high but what we get is a school district that is ranked in the top 5% nationally. Im with you on a few acres off the beaten path and thats where I really want to be but Im going to catch hell with that as the wifey is a Jersey girl. Ill be happy if we can get the hell out of this over populated and over taxed area into a smaller house with a few acres. Right now its a 100x200ft lot, 3500 sq ft of house that takes up most of the lot in one of the most densely populated places in the country. The county I live in has a higher population than most states do. Hell just the township is over 250K people with a high school of 4K students. My Daughter will be a sophomore in HS next year and my Son in the 7th grade so 6 more years!


Oldest just finished first two years of college, goes to state in fall. Youngest is going into 10th grade in fall. Im short timin' and can't wait to get outta dodge. Wife already has list of critters she wants to get. I'll get her a herd if it gets me outta town into the country. Taxes here in NY suck, I pay village, county, state, and school taxes. My escrow payment equals what goes to the princ/interest side. State income tax seems like its as high as federal. Just too many taxes on everything.

But I have a job, won't be retiring any time I can see in the future, so might as well make my after work oasis a place to escape the daily grind. Far from traffic, noise, and society...where I can smoke a cigar while listening to critters and nature.


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## fdfirebiz

I know how you feel bro I did the same thing. Might as we'll be as comfortable as possible enjoy life enjoy your down time with a nice stogie. When your ready to retire get out of dodge and come on down to spotsyltucky as I say LOL I live in spotsylvania county.


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## c95035

I purchased my first newair product and love it, I was considering building a wineador with one of their wine coolers but when I saw they already sell a cigar humidor i bought the CC-100 frome Home Deopt. It's great


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## gringo13

NewAir AW-280E, 2 lbs. of heartfelt 65% beads, 5 drawers + 1 shelf from Forrest, 3 Xikar rectangular hygrometers all on their way. Thinking about getting a cigar oasis plus and wifi module to put in there as well to hook up the fans to circulate everything. Would also give me the peace of mind to see it updating on my phone to keep track of everything. Don't know if thats total overkill or not but just a thought. I can't see any photos on this thread so I can't see anyone's projects they are talking about. :vs_cry: From what I have been reading and not seeing is that people have been having trouble with the cooler overworking? Would it help to set it on a timer or something? I will be getting that plastic glue stick stuff to seal the plug at the bottom after routing all of my cables for fans etc through it. Sounds like that would work best. Anything else I should keep in mind before I get my cooler here next week? I understand some are having condensation issues as well from the fan of the cooler but I think with the heartfelt beads it should soak up any extra moisture in there fore sure from my research. I can't wait. :vs_OMG:


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## falconman515

Ya I guess the damn picture website I was using went to a paid service and I said F THAT

So in turn ALL my damn pics I have posted on PUFF for a couple years I guess are all gone.  

Very sorry to those coming in here hoping to find some info along with pictures. 

I still have them and can upload some to IMGur that I am currently using if anyone would like. 

Very sorry for the picture issue ... but I refuse to pay for a picture hosting site when so many are free.


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## Sherif

nanilla said:


> So I have just about everything I need to finish up my edgestar build, and I wanted to share where I am at, and add to this already great thread. Thanks everyone for "convincing" me this was necessary.
> 
> The wine cooler is the 28 bottle capacity NewAir Aw281. I really liked the look of this fridge, that was my main reason for picking it over the 280. I have not finished airing it out yet, I am letting it run now then will use baking soda and vinegar and wash it out, then let it air dry.
> 
> For my fan set-up I got 3 Ecomaster T.B Silence Fans (these are incredibly quite), each has a 3 pin molex connector. I then got a fan speed controller with four ports that uses the same 3 pin connector in and 4 pin molex out. Next, I got AC to DC power supply with 4 pin molex to connect to the fan speed controller. Finally I purchased an outlet timer. I did need to enlarge the reservoir hole a bit to be able to fit the 3 pin connectors from the fan through.
> 
> I am going to place all three fans on the bottom and back of the cooler. Two facing forward and one facing up.
> 
> I also Purchased 2.5 pounds of ConservaGel beads, and got the bags for the beads from Petsmart as suggested by Chris.
> 
> I also have two hygros that will go on the Drawers from Forrest, that will hopefully have in the next week or two. I ordered 4 double drawers and three shelves (one at the very bottom).
> 
> I will post up more pictures when the drawers get here and its all done.


Am sure fans vibrate, so how did you attach them at the locations mentioned? And what are the settings on the timer? Thanks


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## falconman515

Hope this thread is still helping some folks out there!!! 

I see the pics are working again so that is great. 

I do not smoke as much as I used to or have the stash I used to. 

BUT ... My NewAir winedor 5 years later is still working perfect like the first day I bought it so that is great. 

Still got a good little stash going on the cooler at all times but prefer to smoke a bit less and liking CC's more now a days so the collecting and storing and getting all the new stuff that comes out and limited runs etc. is past me now and don't feel the need to go through all of that anymore. 

But for those wanting to build a good budget rig I am hoping this still helps some new guys


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## Sherif

How did you widen the drain reservoir hole?


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